


In Season

by TestyCanadian



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Cat Ears, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I wrote this when I was sick, Massive AU, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and tails
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-03-24 05:48:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 36,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13804734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TestyCanadian/pseuds/TestyCanadian
Summary: From the start of spring to the start of summer a small subset of the population of kids/teen (below age 20) go through a little transformation referred to as “going into Season”. Those that go into Season wake up with cat-features on the Spring Equinox and have to deal with that and the resulting catlike behavior for the 3 months between then and the Summer Solstice.For some people it never happens, for others it happens a few times throughout their childhood, and for a select few it happens every year without fail (barring some physical or mental trauma)However it is a very small subset of the population that goes into Season. An even smaller percent of them go into Season in their later teens, i.e. when they can debut as idols, so for the last 2 years the only male idol out there to go into Season has been TRIGGER's Kujou TennBut this year Idolish7 has 4 members under the seasonal age limit, one of which just happens to be the secret twin of said Kujou Tenn.What could pawsibly go wrong?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had a migraine for 6 days y'all, I've been writing this to cope. I know most of you are waiting on chapters of other wips but sometimes when you're sick you just gotta write shmoopy catboys. Fight Me.

It was a bright and sunny Thursday afternoon at the Takanashi Production Dorms. The sky was clear and there was the faintest hint of a breeze that made the temperature just perfect for sitting outside with a snack and a good book. If it were any other day, that would be exactly what Riku would be doing; however today was very different and he couldn’t figure out why.

 

He had woken up feeling out of sorts. He felt kind of itchy all over, like his body was getting over the last dregs of a bad sunburn, but his skin was free of any redness or rash. He had tried taking a shower to clear his mind and get rid of the odd feeling in his body, but it had the opposite effect and he jumped out only minutes after getting in. It had just gone downhill from there. He had been ravenous at breakfast, shoveling food into his mouth so fast that Sougo had had to scold him about table manners. Then he had accidentally fallen asleep on the couch when he had been reading over sheet music and had to be forcibly woken up by Nagi. Unfortunately when Nagi shook his shoulder to wake him, Riku had panicked and fell off the couch before running to hide in his room. It took him a few minutes of cowering behind his bedroom door to realize he didn’t know why he was hiding from _Nagi_ of all people. It had taken almost an hour to assure Nagi that he was fine and that he wasn’t angry at being woken up, and even after that the taller boy kept shooting him worried looks.

 

Riku gazed longingly out the window at the oh-so-inviting garden and tried to figure out what could possibly be making him feel so weird. Maybe he was getting a spring cold or something? But his lungs felt fine. In fact he hadn’t had a attack in over a month and he was feeling healthier than ever before. What could it be then? Maybe he had eaten something that hadn’t agreed with him? But then he probably wouldn’t be feeling so hungry right?

 

“Riku-kun did you hear me?” Mr. Takanashi asked, jolting Riku out of his thoughts.

 

“Oh um yes of course!” Riku said whipping his head around to face the rest of the room, “I mean...uh, no actually. Sorry.”

 

“Can’t you pay attention for five minutes?” Iori sighed in frustration. Riku was about to snap back that _Yes! Of course he could!_ but Mr. Takanashi interrupted him.

 

“It’s alright Iori-kun, I know we would all much rather be outside on a day as nice as this one,” The man chuckled good naturedly, “This will only take a few more minutes Riku-kun, I promise. Then you can go enjoy the good weather.”

 

“Okay,” Riku nodded and moved away from the window to stand by the rest of Idolish7.

 

“Right then,” Mr. Takanashi said, continuing where he left off, “As I was saying, tomorrow is the Spring Equinox and seeing as we have four of you under the age limit, I was just wondering if any of you think theres a chance you’ll be going into season? I’d like to be prepared if we are going to have to deal with a media influx.”

 

It felt like a brick had dropped into Riku’s stomach. Was the Equinox really tomorrow? Already?! That couldn’t be what had him feeling so odd right? No, there was no way! He hadn’t gone into season since before Tenn had left! But he’d been so young the last time it happened, he didn’t remember what it felt like.

 

“I believe I am out of the woods on this one sir,” Iori said respectfully, “Neither I nor Ni-san have ever gone into season.”

 

“Same here!” Nagi said brightly, “Though I’m sure I would have looked adorable had it ever happened!”

 

“It happened to me a few times when I was a kid,” Tamaki sighed, flicking at the ears on his hoodie, “but it hasn’t happened since I was like nine, so it probably won’t happen this time either.”

 

“Good, good,” Mr. Takanashi said, jotting some notes down on the pad in front of him. “And what about you Riku-kun?”

 

“Oh yeah, Tenn goes into season every year,” Mitsuki hummed thoughtfully, “And if you two are twins then Riku….”

 

Suddenly all eyes were on Riku. He gulped nervously and fumbled quickly for an answer. The Season was one of the biggest events of the year. It lasted from the morning of the Spring Equinox to the evening of the Summer Solstice and was considered a holy time traditionally, mostly because of the effect it had on the children of the world. During this period of time, a small percentage of the population under the age of twenty had the chance of going into season. If it happened to a child they would wake up on the morning of the Equinox sporting a furry new set of ears and a tail along with all the impulses and urges that came with them. It had the effect of making even teenagers act clingy and emotional. In the past it was seen as a sign of certain children being favored by the gods but in modern times it was mostly just the time of year when some kids got a little extra cute. Many people, like Nagi and the Izumis, never went into season. Others, like Tamaki, had a few flukes when they were small but grew out of it fairly quickly. And then there were people, like Tenn, who consistently went into season every year until they turned 20.

 

“It won’t happen to me,” Riku said, forcing himself to sound confident, “It happened to me twice when I was small but I’ve never been healthy enough since then for ears to manifest. My body just can’t support it so you don’t have anything to worry about.”  
  
“Are you certain Riku-kun?” Tsumugi asked, stepping forward to place a hand on Riku’s shoulder, “You know how crazy the media gets when someone famous goes into season. There have been plenty of female Idols that have gone into season, but for the past two years Tenn has been the only boy. They’ll be itching for new blood if any of you happen to get ears.”

 

“No, I’m sure Manager,” Riku nodded again, smiling wide, “There’s no way I’ll go into season!”

 

“Well if that’s the case then we have nothing to worry about,” Mr. Takanashi said brightly, he scribbled one more note down onto his paper and then waved them out of the room, “That’s all I wanted to talk about boys, you are free for the rest of the day. Go on out and enjoy the nice weather!”

 

Everyone filed out of the office after that, content that the discussion was over. Riku breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t know why he was feeling so nervous, it’s not like he’d lied. There was no way he was going into season after all! It hadn’t happened in over ten years and it got less likely the closer you got to the age limit. No, he was just feeling restless about the weather or something, thats why he was feeling off.

 

Riku made a conscious effort to appear as normal as possible for the rest of the day. He was extra aware of his table manners at dinner, despite how much he wanted to stuff his face. He played video games with Tamaki afterwards and didn’t bat an eye when the taller boy leaned into him while trying to pass his car in the racing game, even though it made Riku’s skin crawl. He even went to bed at his normal time, even though he suddenly felt exhausted just after the sun went down.

 

Riku took another shower that evening, in the hopes that a second shot at the steamy water would succeed at washing away his body’s odd reactions. To his delight it seemed to work. He stepped out of the shower feeling sleepy but refreshed. The pit in his stomach had disappeared and his skin felt clean and normal. Maybe it had all just been some pollen in the air or an odd reaction to a new cleaner they were using somewhere in the dorms. Riku resolved to ask someone about it tomorrow, and flopped bonelessly into bed. He had barely pulled the blanket up to his chin before he was out like a light, convinced everything would be fine in the morning.

\------------------------------------------

Riku’s eyes snapped open the next morning just as the sun was starting to filter through his window. His heart pounded quickly in his chest and he blinked blearily around his room, looking for what could have startled him awake so suddenly. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Everything was just as he had left it the day before and the dorms were practically silent this early in the day. Maybe he’d been in the middle of a bad dream? One look at the clock on his bedside table had Riku groaning in frustration. He had to get up soon, but maybe he could sneak in another half hour of sleep. Resolving to do so, Riku rolled over to go back to bed.

 

Or at least he tried to roll over, but he was stopped when something long and thin got caught under his thigh. It sent a shock of pain up his spine, wrenching a yelp from his throat. Riku gingerly lifted his leg to see what had caused the pain and was puzzled by what he saw. It was certainly long and thin, round too and covered in soft red fluff. Riku blinked at it in confusion and the thing twitched in response.

 

Riku jumped back in surprise, toppling onto the floor and bumping his head on the ground. Riku groaned and placed a hand on his now aching head, only to feel something twitch under his fingers. Riku’s eyes widened, the pieces falling into place in his mind, and frantically fumbled for the switch on his desk lamp. He tripped over his feet in his rush to get to his mirror and froze at what he saw.

 

Two fluffy cat ears sat atop his head. They had fur the same crimson shade as his hair, except at their tips where they turned a pure snowy white. Riku gasped at the sight of them and watched as they flattened against his scalp in response to his distress. Something flickered at the corners of his vision and he craned his neck to see what was behind him. A matching red, white-tipped, tail lashed agitatedly back and forth between his legs. Riku ran a hand over his back and found where the new appendage sprouted, right above the cleft of his bottom, making his pajama pants ride low on his hips.

 

Riku had gone into Season.

 

For a moment, Riku felt a warmth of happiness fill him. He had always wanted to go into Season when he was younger. He’d wanted to have soft ears and a silky tail to match his precious Tenn-nii. When the twins had been small they had received loads of attention and compliments for their ears, their parents had been so proud. But after they turned six and Riku’s health had taken a turn for the worse, Tenn started to go into Season alone. It had started a rift between the brothers, one that had come to a head when Tenn left them for Kujou. After that, Riku was certain he’d never go into Season again.

 

And yet here he was, with the same ears and tail from his childhood. Though Riku found himself wondering if they had been this fluffy when he had been five? He didn’t think so. Tenn’s were always sleek and silky, so why were Riku’s sticking up in wild tufts? Were you supposed to comb ears and tails like hair? Or maybe Tenn used some kind of special shampoo on his to make them look nice? How exactly was Riku going to make them work in his Idol costumes?

 

That thought stopped Riku dead in his tracks. That’s right, he was an Idol now. He was an Idol that just went into Season for the first time in their career. That could be a problem. The media would have a field day with this! And he had just assured Mr. Takanashi the day before that there was _no way_ he’d be going into Season!

 

Riku wrapped his arms around himself as his thoughts started to get away from him. A thousand worst case scenarios ran through his mind. Would Mr. Takanashi be mad at him? Would his bandmates think he lied to them about him going into Season? And what about his Tenn-ni?! Would he be mad at Riku for stealing his spotlight after being the only male Idol in Season for two years straight?! What if the media put two and two together and realized their secret?! This was a disaster!

 

“No Riku!” He said to himself, slapping his hands to his cheeks, “Calm down. You can fix this, you just have to think. Maybe I can hide them? The Season only lasts a few months, right? Maybe if I’m careful I can just keep them hidden until its over. Most of my costumes have hats anyway and when I’m not in costume I can just wear hoods! I mean Tamaki does that and no one seems to care. I can just say I’m trying out a new style and no one should think twice about it, right?”

 

His reflection didn’t have an answer for him but that was okay because Riku had already made up his mind. He threw open his closet and began rummaging through his clothes until he found a pair of loose cargo pants and a thick white hoodie. He quickly changed and tugged the hood low over his brow, checking in the mirror to assess his new look. There were two distinct lumps in the hood where his new ears were pushing up against the fabric. Well that wasn’t going to work.

 

Riku opened one of the drawers in his desk and poked around until he found a pair of small barrettes. He took the hood down and ran his hand over the left ear so it lay flat against his head. He sucked in a bracing breath and slid one of the barrettes over the tip of the ear before snapping the clip closed. Riku yelped as sharp pain radiated out from his ear, eyes welling up with the sting of it. Riku did his best to ignore it and quickly clipped his right ear too. He rubbed his watery eyes with his sleeve and pulled the hood back up over his head. To Riku’s relief, it sat normally this time. Unfortunately his whole head hurt now. He hoped his body would get used to it or he had a few very uncomfortable months in his future.

 

Next up to deal with was his tail. The offending appendage was currently tucked defensively between his legs. Riku grabbed it and tried just tucking it into his pants. That worked for about a minute but when he turned around to check what it looked like from behind, it was easy see it moving around. Riku tried to mentally will it into holding still but it took too much focus for him to do it all the time. Riku thought about it for a moment and then came up with a brilliant solution. He slid out of his pants and grabbed a pair of socks out of his dresser. He held his tail straight against his right leg and used the socks to tie it tight at his thigh and calf. When he put his pants back on he was delighted to find that they were loose enough that you couldn’t tell there was a tail hiding against his leg. He’d just have to hope his Idol costumes were loose enough for the same effect. Maybe if they weren’t he could tape the tail to his back somehow? He’d cross that bridge when he came to it; what mattered was that for the time being, he was in the clear.

 

Just then Riku’s alarm started going off which meant that if he didn’t get to the kitchen soon, one of his bandmates would come looking for him. Riku hit the off button on his clock and took a deep steadying breath. Everything was going to be okay, he just had to play it cool. No one had to know he was in Season. He could do this.

 

He headed to the door and opened it, hesitantly sticking his head out into the hall. The air was filled with the smell of toast and eggs, and Riku could hear the low sounds of conversation coming from the kitchen. He took a few tentative steps down the hall, making a conscious effort not to wince at the pull on his spine from his confined tail, and turned the corner into the kitchen.

 

“Hey Riku, good morning!” Mitsuki said brightly, waving at him with a spatula from where he stood at the stove, “Did you sleep okay?”

 

“Good morning Mitsuki-san,” Riku said brightly, wincing slightly when his voice cracked, “You’re certainly up early,”

 

“Nii-san was up early so he could go for a run in the nice weather,” Iori said, squinting at him suspiciously from his perch at the breakfast bar, “That’s a very interesting outfit you’ve picked for yourself today. Aren’t you a bit hot in all that baggy clothing?”

 

“No! Of course not!” Riku said quickly, “In fact I’m the opposite of hot! I was downright chilly this morning!”

 

“What? Riku it’s like 70F in here, how are you chilly? You aren’t coming down with something are you?” Mitsuki asked, turning off the heat on the stove and flipping his fried egg onto a plate. He placed the plate in front of Iori and then moved to put his hand on Riku’s forehead but Riku took a hurried step out of his reach. That was apparently the wrong move because now he had both Izumis staring him down in suspicion.

 

“Nanase-san,” Iori said in a low slow voice, “Why don’t you come sit down at the counter. Nii-san’s cooked us all breakfast, it would be shame to let it get cold.”

 

“I’m fine standing,” Riku said, swallowing thickly, “And I think I’ll just grab some juice before heading down to the practice room.”

 

“Come on Riku, I worked hard to make you guys breakfast. You don’t want my efforts to go to waste right?” Mitsuki said, pulling out the chair next to Iori, “How about just one egg? You need your energy after all.”

 

“Um…” Riku said, nervously tugging at the side of his hood. Both of the brothers were watching him like hawks, daring him to argue with Mitsuki’s request. Riku wanted to deny them, to say he wasn’t hungry and run down to the practice room to hide, but that would be far too suspicious.

 

“If you don’t want a fried egg, I’m sure Nii-san would be willing to cook you something else,” Iori said, leaning forward in his chair, “We can’t have our center running on no breakfast right?”

 

“Yeah that’d be no problem for me, Riku,” Mitsuki said, stepping away from the pulled out chair to give Riku more space to move, “I think Iori and I would both be worried all day if you didn’t eat something. I’ll make you whatever you want.”

 

“Whatever I want?” Riku asked thoughtfully. The smell of Mitsuki’s cooking was starting to get to him. Riku’s stomach growled at the possibility of getting the older boy to make him omurice this early in the morning. Oh or maybe something with fish! Usually Riku would never give up an opportunity for omurice, but for some reason fish seemed like the best thing in the world right then. “Mitsuki-san can I have grilled fish?”

 

“Grilled fish?” Both Izumis asked, surprise clear on their faces. They exchanged a cryptic look and then Mitsuki turned a blinding smile on Riku.

 

“That sounds like a great breakfast Riku,” He said brightly, “Why don’t you come sit here by Iori and I’ll make us each one?”

 

“Okay!” Riku smiled and hurried to the seat Mitsuki had pulled out for him, all thoughts of his previous nerves gone at the prospect of breakfast.

 

As soon as he sat down they were on him. Mitsuki grabbed Riku from behind, pinning the younger boy’s arms to his sides. Riku cried out in shock and tried to get away but Mitsuki was too strong and the redhead was stuck fast in his chair. Iori hooked a hand under Riku’s hood and yanked it down off his head. Riku let out a very feline yowl as his painfully pinned ears were jostled and revealed. Riku squeezed his eyes shut, afraid of what their reaction would be.

 

Riku heard a pair of gasps followed by a beat of silence from the Izumis.

 

Mitsuki’s grip slackened slightly and Riku wriggled out of his hold, stumbling a few steps away. He was afraid to open his eyes. What if they were mad at him? What if the hated him because he’d gone into Season when he said he wouldn’t?! Would they leave him like Tenn-nii did?!  They wouldn’t do that right? They wouldn’t get rid of him, would they?! Riku’s chest started to hurt, breathing becoming difficult. His eyes teared up behind his closed lids.

 

“We heard a yell! What’s going on in here?” Sougo’s voice, usually so soft and mild, was suddenly harsh. Riku’s eyes snapped open and met the older man’s from across the room. Suddenly the tears were streaming down Riku’s face and he was sobbing, gasping for air. Sougo shot across the room and gathered Riku up into his arms.

 

“I’m sorry!” Riku wailed, burying his face in Sougo’s shoulder, “I didn’t think it would happen! I swear! I’m sorry please don’t be mad!”

 

“Hush Riku, no one is angry with you,” Sougo said calmly, rocking them back and forth. “Just focus on breathing, okay? I’m going to fix your ears and then we’ll figure this whole thing out.”

 

Riku sniffled and nodded into Sougo’s shirt, trying to steady his heaving breaths. Sougo ran gentle fingers over Riku’s scalp, prodding lightly at the clips holding Riku’s ears down. Riku tried to pull away when they twinged with pain but Sougo held him close so he couldn’t get far. Sougo was quick after that, unsnapping both barrettes at the same time and freeing his ears. Riku let out a hiss at the sudden release and felt his ears swivel around in relief.

 

“There I bet that feels better, doesn’t it,” Sougo hummed, running the back of his finger over one of Riku’s ears. Riku had to agree. It felt heavenly to have his ears free again and Sougo’s touch was quickly easing away any lingering soreness.

 

“Is he gonna be okay, Sou-chan?” Tamaki’s voice asked from beside Riku.

 

“He’s going to be fine Tamaki-kun,” Sougo said, resting his cheek against the side of Riku’s head. “But if he clipped down his ears, he probably did something to his tail too. Would it be okay if Tamaki untied your tail, Riku-kun?”

 

Riku whined in distress but nodded against Sougo’s shoulder, shuffling closer for comfort. Sougo seemed more than happy to give it to him though, rubbing soothing circles on Riku’s back and murmuring praises into his ear. Riku tried to focus on Sougo’s affections and not the new set of hands running up and down his legs.

 

“Oh, he used socks,” Tamaki’s voice mumbled as he undid the knots through Riku’s pants. “That was silly Rikun, you should have used shoelaces.”

 

Riku shook his leg once the ties had come loose and let the socks fall to the floor. Riku thought Tamaki was done after that but the younger boy apparently had other plans because Riku felt a large hand run over the base of his tail. Tamaki carefully threaded the tail out of Riku’s pants and gently ran his fingers up and down it’s length, checking for damage. Riku felt all the tension he’d been holding in his back melt away. Between Sougo’s careful touches and Tamaki’s long strokes, Riku was melting into a puddle of bliss and comfort. His chest no longer felt tight with the need to breath, however there was another odd feeling there. Riku didn’t know how to describe it, but it was almost like a little engine was rumbling in his chest. It felt a lot more pleasant than that sounded to him though.

 

“Look at the tip, Sou-chan!” Tamaki chuckled brightly, and holding Riku’s tail aloft for Sougo to see, “It’s like he dipped it in paint! It’s the same with his ears, too. Why would you want to hide these Rikun? They’re super cute!”

 

“That’s what I’d like to know as well, Tamaki-kun,” Iori’s voice cut through Riku’s happy haze. The rumbling in his chest stopped and Riku found himself burrowing deeper into Sougo’s embrace. How was he supposed to answer that question?

 

“I think the answer to that is fairly obvious, myself,” Sougo said, voice cold and sharp like a knife, “It’s common knowledge that children are irrational and emotional when they go into Season. For someone like Riku-kun, who hasn’t gone into Season in over ten years and doesn’t have the immediate support structure of his family present, the fear of rejection must have been immense. He was probably scared we would be mad at him after he said he wasn’t going into Season and then did.”

 

“But that’s crazy!” Mitsuki insisted, “There’s no way we could be mad at him for something like that!”

 

“Exactly,” Sougo said, sickly sweet, “So _why is it_ that I came in here to find him sobbing his eyes out after what looked like you two attacked him?”

 

“I think I’d like to know that too,” Tamaki drawled, his voice a pale imitation of his usual bored tone, “You know you’re not supposed to make kittens cry during the Season, Iorin.”

 

Riku chanced a look over Sougo’s shoulder to see both Izumi’s frozen in fear. Sougo’s face was turned away from him but Riku had a pretty good idea what it looked like right then. Tamaki had taken up a guardian position next to Sougo’s shoulder and his eyes held an icy glint. This wasn’t good! Riku didn’t want anyone to fight, especially about him! He had to diffuse the situation somehow!

 

Riku wiggled around in Sougo’s hold until he was able to get his arms out from where they were held against his chest. He wrapped them tight around Sougo’s body and rubbed his cheek up and down the older boy’s neck, trying to make that rumble in his chest start up again. When Sougo turned his face to see what Riku was doing, Riku’s tongue flicked out of its own accord and gave Sougo’s cheek a little lick.

 

“It’s okay Sougo-san!” Riku assured him, “They startled me a little but they just wanted to make sure I wasn’t sick. It’s like you said before; I thought everyone was going to be mad that I got ears. But if nobody is mad at me then you don’t have to be mad at them, right?”

 

“Well I suppose so,” Sougo said, looking a bit conflicted, “But still, if they wanted to check your health then they should have gone about it differently.”

 

“Yeah he’s right,” Mitsuki sighed, coming over and ruffling Riku’s hair. “I’m sorry if we scared you buddy, we were just worried. You were acting strange, we just wanted to make sure you hadn’t hurt yourself or something.”

 

“Not that we were wrong to think that,” Iori muttered, hiding his face in his mug of tea, “He should know better than to pin down cat ears.”

 

“I’m sorry Iori-kun, I don’t think I heard that correctly,” Sougo said darkly, “Would you like to repeat that _apology_ so we can all hear it?”

 

“I’m sorry for distressing you in your vulnerable state, Nananse-san,” Iori said hurriedly, jumping up out of his seat and bowing at the waist, “That was unacceptable behavior as your friend and bandmate. Please forgive me.”

 

“It’s fine! Really!” Riku said, more to Sougo than Iori, “I over reacted! I don’t know what I was thinking. It’s not like being in Season would stop me from working as an Idol! Please don’t be mad at them Sougo-san, it was just me being silly!”

 

“If you’re sure Riku,” Sougo said, giving Riku one last comforting squeeze before letting him go, “Either way, I’m sure they are going to do their best to make it up to you for scaring you like that so early in the day.”

 

“Of course we are!” Mitsuki was quick to assure them, “Do you still want that grilled fish Riku? I can get it done right away if you want it.”

 

“Yes please!” Riku nodded eagerly, stomach grumbling out its own agreement. He happily took the seat Mitsuki had pulled out for him at the breakfast bar. Sougo pulled out the one beside it and sat down. Iori went to retake his own seat but Tamaki slid past him and took it instead. Iori looked like he was going to argue it for a second but Tamaki just gave him a long blink and slid Iori’s plate down one seat.

 

“Can I have some food too Mikki?” Tamaki asked, “Not a fish though, me and Iorin have to leave for school soon and that’ll take too long.”

 

“I could make you an egg and some toast like Iori?” Mitsuki said, grabbing some fish out of the fridge and starting up the stove again.

 

“I want pudding,” Tamaki moaned.

 

“Pudding is not a breakfast food Tamaki-kun,” Sougo admonished lightly.

 

“Not with that attitude it isn’t, Sou-chan,” Tamaki said, stretching his arms up over his head and then dropping them lazily over Riku’s shoulders, “Rikun wants pudding too, don’t you Rikun? It’s the first day of his Season Sou-chan, you have to let him eat what he wants!”

 

“I think I’m good with my fish, Tamaki-kun,” Riku said, not wanting to get in the middle of MEZZO”s daily battle. “But Mitsuki-san’s eggs smell really good too. Maybe you’d like one of those?”

 

“Fiiiiiine I’ll eat an egg,” Tamaki sighed dramatically. “But only cause Rikun asked me with those kitten eyes!” He reached one hand up and started scratching at the base of Riku’s ears. Oh that felt amazing! Riku leaned further into Tamaki’s touch, almost crawling into the other boy’s lap.

 

“Well that was easier than normal,” Sougo said, smiling, “See Riku-kun, you being in Season is the opposite of a problem!”

 

“You all sure are making a lot of noise this morning,” Yamato said, yawning as he entered the room, “What’s all the fuss about?”

 

“Oh my,” Nagi said, following after Yamato. One look at Riku had him rushing over to the counter, “Looks like someone was a little off in their Season prediction.”

 

“Yeah I’m sorry,” Riku sighed, trying to swallow down the fear of rejection that bubbled to the surface once more, “I swear I didn’t think it was going to happen. I’m sorry if it causes you guys trouble.”

 

“Are you kidding? This is going to be great,” Yamato said, grinning and giving Riku a big pat on the back.

 

“Yes it’s wonderful!” Nagi cheered, running his fingers over Riku’s tail, “Our cute center is twice as cute now!”

 

“Not exactly what I meant,” Yamato said sheepishly, “I was thinking more along the lines of all the free publicity we’re about to get. You have a media blitz in your future Riku. Has anyone called Manager or Banri-san yet? They’ll need to know soon, if they want to get you on anything today.”

 

“No, oh great Leader-san, we haven’t,” Sougo said, deceptively sweet, “We thought we’d let our dear sweet Riku-kun eat breakfast and maybe get used to his ears before _throwing him to the hyenas.”_

 

“Geeze Sou, you’re prickly today,” Yamato said, holding up his hands placatingly, “I just meant that we should let management know so they can more easily field the calls. No one is going to make Riku do anything he doesn’t want to do.”

 

“Sou-chan used to get ears every year, right?” Tamaki said grinning slyly, “Maybe he’s just feeling a bit like a mama kitty with her kitten?”

 

“Tamaki-kun!” Sougo reproached, blushing bright red, “It’s not like that at all!”

 

“Oh really? Cause Sou-chan’s face tells a different story!” Tamaki laughed, pushing Riku away from his chest so the redhead’s face sat just below Sougo’s chin, “Look! When you blush you match Rikun’s ears!”

 

“Oh yeah, look at that,” Yamato said, leaning in to get a better look at Riku’s ears, “And the tail matches too. White tips are pretty rare in Seasonal coloring, I guess you and Tenn really are twins huh?”

 

“Oh yeah the fangirls always go crazy over Tenn’s coloring,” Mitsuki said, sliding a plate with two eggs on it infront of Tamaki, “The talk-show hosts won’t know what to do with themselves with both of you showing like that.”

 

“Hmm that could be a problem,” Yamato frowned. He opened his mouth to say something more but was interrupted by the door opening.

 

“Good morning everyone,” Tsumugi’s voice called out, “How are you all today?”

 

“Manager come see!” Tamaki called excitedly. Riku clamped a hand over his mouth to shush him but he wasn’t quick enough.

 

“Oh did something happen?” Tsumugi asked, hurrying in with a smile on her face. The happy grin fell into a surprised gasp when she caught sight of Riku.

 

“Please don’t be mad Manager! I’m sorry I swear I didn’t think---” Riku started to say.

 

“Daddy was right!” Tsumugi burst out, pointing frantically at Riku’s face.

 

“Um...what?” Riku asked blinking at the finger mere inches from his eyes.

 

“Oh no, I’m so sorry Riku-kun!” Tsumugi said, blushing a bright crimson, “It’s just, after your meeting with him yesterday, Mr. Takanashi said that he thought you would go into Season today even if you didn’t think you would. That’s why he had me come over so early to check. We’ve already had a few calls from TV stations asking if any of you had woken up with ears but we haven’t been able to answer them.”

 

“Mr. Takanashi is truly amazing,” Iori said, “To know Nanase-san was going into Season even though Nanase-san didn’t.”

 

“Don’t give him too much credit,” A voice called from the doorway. Banri waved a greeting as he entered the room, camera in hand, “He called Riku-kun’s doctor before that meeting even happened to see what she thought on the subject. Your pediatrician says hello by the way, Riku-kun. She and your current doctor both agreed that your body was likely healthy enough to go into Season, so the meeting with you all was mostly a formality.”

 

“Why have the meeting at all then?!” Riku asked, mortified, “Why not just talk to me about it?”

 

“Why didn’t you think to call your own doctor, Nanase-san?” Iori asked, deadpan.

 

“Why do you want to start a fight, Iori?!” Riku hissed back, a high pitched growl bubbling up in his throat.

 

“Woah lookit! Rikun’s like a Ghibli movie!” Tamaki exclaimed, running a hand down Riku’s now puffed up tail.

 

“Alright alright no fighting,” Banri said, “Iori-kun, Tamaki-kun, you two need to get going or you’ll be late for school. Riku-kun, you come over here so I can get some pictures of your ears and tail to email the reporters blowing up our phones.”

 

“Oh, um, Okay,” Riku said, feeling very shy all of sudden. He ran his hands over his head, trying to settle his anger-fluffed locks, “Wait I should change clothes first, shouldn’t I?”

 

“Nah I think this is a good look,” Yamato said, herding him over to stand in front of a blank wall “The baggy clothes make you look small and cute, we want to play up that angle.”

 

“I don’t want to be small and cute though!” Riku said pouting, he felt his ears droop with his mood and there was a flash of light from Banri’s camera.

 

“Yeah you do,” Yamato said matter-of-factly, “Our fans will eat that up. Give them a cute kitty to coo over Riku, they don’t get the chance often. It will bring smiles to their faces, don’t you want to give them a reason to smile?”

 

“Of course I do!” Riku said, tail whipping back and forth earnestly, “But can’t I be like a cool cat or something? A cat superhero?”

 

“Like Catwoman!” Nagi said, helpfully.

 

“He can’t be Catwoman, Nagi,” Mitsuki said, flicking egg yolk in the blond’s face, “Stop giving him weird ideas.”

 

“Riku-kun,” Tsumugi cut in, expertly stopping the oncoming argument in its tracks, “I think you look fine this way because you look just like any normal kid that wakes up in Season. And it’s important for your fans, especially the younger ones who might be going into Season for the first time today, to see that their Idol is going through the same thing they are. You should smile and show them that there’s nothing to be afraid of. That’s what a superhero would do right?”

 

“You’re right Manager!” Riku said nodding energetically, ignoring the second flash of light from Banri’s camera, “I’ll show everybody they have nothing to worry about! None of our fans should feel bad about having ears!”

 

“You know that means you can’t feel bad about having ears either, right Riku-kun?” Sougo said, coming over to stand beside Yamato, “If you smile in the picture it has to be real. It’s not fair to the fans if you tell them to be proud of their ears and tails if you aren’t proud of yours.”

 

“Sougo-kun is right, Riku-kun,” Banri said, holding the camera up once more, “Your fans aren’t stupid, they know you better than anyone and they’ll know if you’re faking. Do you think you can be happy about going into Season? Can you give me a big smile for them and mean it?”

 

“Well, I don’t know,” Riku said softly, he still wasn’t feeling very confident about his ears and tail, “But I think, if it will make our fans smile, then I’m going to do my very best!”

 

He put on his biggest smile. Banri grinned and snapped another picture. He held the screen up for Tsumugi and Yamato to see.

 

“What do you think,” Banri asked, “Looks pretty real to me.”

 

“I don’t know,” Yamato said slyly, “I think those ears are still looking a little droopy.”

 

“Oh I see what you mean,” Sougo said, nodding in mock seriousness, “Perhaps, as his caring bandmates, we can help our poor center get his ears perked up.”

 

“And how do you suppose we should do that?” Nagi said gleefully, catching on to their scheme.

 

“Look here Riku,” Yamato called waving from behind Banri. Riku cocked his head in confusion but then burst out laughing when his three older bandmates broke into a trio of ridiculous face. There was another flash of light from Banri’s camera but Riku was too distracted by his friends to really notice.

 

“I think that one’s the winner,” Banri said showing Tsumugi the screen,

 

“I think you’re right Banri-san,” She agreed, “Very cute.”

 

“I’ll get these over to Takanashi-san then,” Banri said, sliding the camera into his bag and heading to the door, “People who have school should probably be getting to school right now.”

 

“Oh dear,” Iori said, catching a glance of the clock and pulling Tamaki to the door, “We’ll see you all later.”

 

“On that note, I’m going to go figure out the schedule for today,” Tsumugi said, “Are you five going to be alright on your own for a bit?”

 

“Are you kidding my girl?” Nagi asked brightly, throwing an arm over Riku’s shoulder, “With our brand new kitten to play with? How could we be anything other than fine?”

 

“Right well,” Tsumugi said, “Just be gentle okay, don’t wear him out too much.”

 

“I’ll be fine Manager,” Riku smiled.

 

“I’ll keep an eye on him Manager,” Sougo said, bowing slightly, “I’ll make sure they don’t tease him more than necessary.”

 

“Okay,” She agreed, headed toward the door, “If Sougo-san is in charge then I feel better about it. I’ll be back soon.”

 

“You say that like we’re some kind of menaces,” Mitsuki cried, gesturing angrily to the plate he’d just placed at Riku’s seat, “And after I just went through all the trouble of grilling him this fish!”

 

Riku laughed at his shorter bandmate’s outburst and hurried back to his spot at the counter. There was an expertly grilled fish waiting for him, its heavenly scent wafting up to his nose and making his chest rumble with happy purrs once more. Maybe his day hadn’t started off the best, and maybe he still wasn’t feeling super confident about his ears; but with friends like his, there was no reason he couldn’t still have fun this Season.

 

Maybe having ears wasn’t a bad thing?


	2. Chapter 2

Riku was wrong! Having ears was definitely a bad thing!

 

Or at least it was a bad thing if you were surrounded by people who wanted to  _ touch them  _ all the time. Which apparently Riku was! It started out harmless enough. Riku had almost finished his grilled fish breakfast when a hand buried itself in the space between his ears. He looked up from where he was munching happily at his food to find Mitsuki leaning over the counter, one hand in Riku’s hair and the other holding a plate with another grilled fish on it.

 

“Are you enjoying your breakfast Riku-kun,” He asked with a grin.

 

“Yes Mitsuki-san,” Riku said happily, swallowing the big bite he’d taken, “It’s really hitting the spot.”

 

“I’m glad to hear that Riku-kun,” Mitsuki said, ruffling Riku’s hair and making his ears give a little flick of pleasure, “Would you like another one?”

 

“Yes please!” Riku nodded eagerly.

 

“Great! You can absolutely have this other fish right here,” Mitsuki said, placing the plated fish on the counter in front of Riku. Riku smiled wide and reached for it but Mitsuki quickly pulled it away, his grin turning mischievous, “You can have it  _ after  _ you do something for me, that is.”

 

“What do I need to do?” Riku asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

 

“Nothing major,” Mitsuki said, pushing the fish to the side and pulling his phone of his pocket. “Just give me a nice big meow for the camera!”

 

“What?!” Riku blushed, “No way! That’s way too embarrassing!”

 

“C’mon, just one nyan for your Mitsuki-nii?” Mitsuki said, scritching at one of Riku’s ears. Riku tried to hold in the purr that rumbled up inside him but Mitsuki’s fingers just felt so nice! He couldn’t help but tilt his head into the touch. 

 

“Mitsuki-san, don’t pressure him,” Sougo said pointedly, shooting his shorter bandmate a dark look over the rim of his morning cup of tea, “We want his Season to be a pleasant experience for him, don’t we?”

 

“Easy Sougo,” Mitsuki said raising his hands defensively and making Riku lean forward to chase after their touch, “I just thought it would be a nice video to send Iori later. He has a big test today and I usually send him cat videos to watch afterwards to de-stress. What cat video could be better than a Riku-kitty video though?!”

 

“Oh man, just think of how red Ichi’s face will be when he gets that!” Yamato said with a laugh, “We should make Tama film it, that way Riku gets an embarrassing video in exchange.”

 

“Well….I guess if it’ll make Iori feel better after his test…” Riku said, tail waving in consideration, “Fine! But I want that fish! And also it doesn’t end up on the internet!”

 

“You have my word,” Mitsuki said, holding out his hand for a shake. Riku nodded seriously and shook it. 

 

“Then in that case...how exactly should I do it?” Riku asked, head cocking to the side curiously, “Do you want me to just say ‘meow’ or is there like some kind of inflection you’re looking for?”

 

“Don’t worry Riku,” Yamato said, coming up to stand behind the redhead, “Onii-san’s gonna help you out.”  

 

Before Riku could ask what he meant by that, Yamato had grabbed a cat ear in each hand and started vigorously scritching. Riku’s shoulders tensed at the sudden onslaught of stimulation. He felt his tail raise up and swish back and forth, brushing at Yamato’s stomach in the process. His eyes squinted shut as another loud purr started up his chest.

 

“Be gentle with him Yamato,” Sougo scolded, placing his mug down hard on the counter,  “He’s not used to his ears yet, he’ll get oversensitized and then he’ll try to bite you.”

 

“Don’t worry Sou, it’ll be fine,” Yamato said, adjusting his grip a bit when Riku’s ears started to swivel around in excitement, “Nagi come here and get his chin, Mitsu get the camera ready.”

 

Riku shivered when Nagi’s long fingers started scratching lightly under his chin. His whole body felt really warm and he wobbled slightly in his seat. It felt really really good, too good! It was so much good that it was starting to feel not good at all. His body shudder and he opened his mouth to ask them to stop but what came out instead was a long loud Mrrrroooooowwwww. 

 

Riku’s eyes shot open and he gasped in shock. Had that sound really come from him? He tried to say something else but Nagi’s finger grazed over a spot that felt even better than before. Riku let out a chirping “mrrrmrrrmmrrr” and nuzzled into the touch for a moment before the sensation got to be too much and he tried to pull away again. There were a trio of affectionate coos as Yamato, Nagi and Mitsuki chased him with their fingers but Riku had had enough.

 

With a shrill hiss, he jumped from his chair and dashed on all fours across the room. He skid slightly on the wood floors and wedged himself into the hall closet, slamming the door behind him. He hunkered down behind the hanging coats, making his body as small as possible and wrapping his tail protectively around him. He squeezed his eyes shut and focused on steadying his breathing. The last thing he need was to have an attack over something like this. Once he had calmed down a bit, he noticed two things. One, he could see surprisingly well in the dark of the closet. And two, Sougo was angrily lecturing the Pythagoras Trio from just outside the door.  

 

“--and so when I tell you to be gentle, you’d all better  _ listen  _ next time!” Sougo’s usually quiet voice rang loudly through the dorms. There were three frantic apologies and then Riku heard the sound of Sougo taking a deep breath. “Fine. Now, I’m going to try and get him out of hiding and you three are going to  _ sit there  _ and think about how to behave like  _ adults  _ until I say you can get up.”

 

Riku covered his mouth with his hands to try and stifle his giggles. Tamaki had been right before when he’d said Sougo was acting like a Mom today. Was Riku being in Season really having that much of an influence on him? Tamaki had said that Sougo used to get ears every year just like Tenn, maybe he was just feeling sympathetic? 

 

The white tip of Riku’s tail began to flick back and forth as the redhead thought it over, bumping against his nose. Riku jumped an inch in surprise, having forgotten for a moment about his other new appendage. He grabbed the tail and ran it through his fingers, and then ran his hand over it again after liking the softness of it. He found the repetitive action soothing and a soft purr bubbled up in his chest again. He still may not have been sold on his new ears but maybe he could get used to his tail. Just then, a sliver of light appeared as the door was opened up just a crack. Riku’s ears went back and he scooted farther into the safety of the closet. 

 

“Shhh hey it’s okay Riku,” Sougo’s voice, smooth like honey, called out to him softly. “I know that was a little scary but nobody’s going to hurt you.” 

 

The door opened a little more and Sougo’s face came into view. He slowly reached out one hand, palm up, to Riku. Riku sat perfectly still for a moment, still a little on edge, before leaning toward the hand. A little voice at the back of his mind told him to sniff the hand, to make sure it was safe, but Riku shook his head to dispel it. That was silly! This was Sougo’s hand, of course it was safe! And who goes around sniffing hands? That was just weird! Instead Riku tentatively reached forward and placed his own hand in Sougo’s.  

 

“What a brave boy,” Sougo said with a smile, running his thumb over Riku’s knuckles. It was a bit of a childish compliment but Riku couldn’t deny the happy feeling that bloomed in his chest when he heard it. “Why don’t we get you out of there and you can finish your breakfast? You can even eat it in the living room while we watch TV, how does that sound?”

 

“I’d like that!” Riku said with a grin. Sougo’s smile widened when he saw Riku’s and the older boy happily pulled the younger out from his fortress of coats. Riku stumbled slightly as he got to his feet but Sougo was quick to catch him and hold him up. Riku looked up to thank Sougo only to fumble his words when he caught sight of their three other bandmates. Nagi, Mitsuki, and Yamato had all been assigned their own corners. They sat kneeling, noses to the wall and shoulders hunched, the picture of repentant children.

 

“Is there something wrong, Riku-kun?” Sougo asked, smile sunny, daring Riku to make a comment.

 

“N-no! Nothing wrong here, Sougo-san!” Riku said quickly, not wanting to incur the other’s wrath as his older bandmates had.

 

“That’s good,” Sougo nodded, leading Riku to the couch by the hand and making the redhead sit down, “In that case, you wait here and pick something for us to watch while I go and get your fish.”

 

Riku nodded, trying very hard not to look at where Nagi was kneeling next to the television, and began to click through the channels. Most of the local news stations were covering the first day of the Season; their screens full of happy cat-eared children, along with the usual morning commutes and weather forecasts. Riku breezed through these quickly and stopped for a moment on a brightly colored cartoon. He knew that Sougo would put up with watching it, seeing as Riku was having a rough day and Sougo being just an overly kind person in general, but Riku new his friend wouldn’t actually enjoy it. He changed the channel again, this time landing on one of the many celebrity gossip shows. Riku was about to change it again but froze when the screen lit up with a picture of his brother, Tenn.

 

Tenn was smiling serenely, hair still slightly mussed from sleep and pajama shirt revealing more shoulder than the pale boy usually let show. A pair of silky pink cat ears, tipped in pure white, sat elegantly on his head and a matching tail curled languidly in his lap. He was perched primly in an armchair with the city skyline spread out through the window behind him. To Riku, he looked positively regal. Whoever took the picture obviously knew what they were doing. 

 

A pit began to form in Riku’s gut; if that was the picture the media got for Tenn, then what would they think of the candid shot of Riku that Banri took? Though, even if they had prepared a better picture, Riku wasn’t sure if it would have made much difference. Tenn always looked more put together, more refined, than Riku even when they had been small. He just had this air about him, an elegance that Riku had never been able to replicate. It was as plain as the ears on their heads. Where Tenn’s were light and pale and delicate, Riku’s were unruly and lively and wild. If it weren’t for their matching white-tipped coloring, Riku didn’t think there would be any questions about them being related. They were just too different, and it was easy to see which one of them superior.

 

“What’s wrong Riku-kun?” Sougo asked, crossing in front of Riku and blocking his view of the television with a delicious smelling plate of fish, “Is there nothing good on to watch?”

 

“Oh, um... no I couldn’t find anything,” Riku said, clicking to the next channel where the last night’s basketball scores were being read off, “Why don’t you pick something, Sougo-san,”

 

“Hmm if you’re sure Riku-kun,” Sougo said, looking a bit concerned but taking the remote when Riku offered it. Riku took a big bite out of his fish and hummed happily at the taste. He had always liked fish but for some reason today it tasted even better than usual. He swallowed his mouthful, mood instantly picking up with the help of some good food, when a thought crossed his mind.

 

“Hey Sougo-san, Tamaki-kun said you used to get ears annually, right?” Riku asked, “Is that true?”

 

“Yes it’s true, he found a picture while snooping for pudding in my room,” Sougo said with a shrug, “I was a curl and he seemed to get quite a kick out of that. Joke’s on him though, I called his orphanage and got some pictures of him in Season too. He was a bobtail, it’s adorable.”

 

“Aw cute,” Riku said, giggling at the mental picture of Tamaki with ears and a stumpy little tail, “Were you also so, well...how do I put this? I thought kids got clingy and emotional when they were in Season so I was just wondering; were you this uh  _ maternal  _ when you were in Season?”

 

“Ha! He certainly called you out Sou,” Yamato laughed from his corner, “Riku you’re next fish is on me! That was great!”

 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t aware _naughty_ _children in timeout_ were allowed to speak,” Sougo spit venomously at Yamato, before clearing his throat and looking back at Riku’s questioning face. A bright red blush blossomed on the pale boy’s cheeks as his eyes darted anywhere but Riku’s own, “Actually no Riku I didn’t act this _maternal,_ as you put it, while I was in Season. If my memories are anything to go by, I was actually perhaps a bit of a brat. I have been told my behavior when drunk is very similar to that of my younger self while in Season. But my instincts and emotions were all over the place at the time, I couldn’t help but act childishly in response. It’s the same for anyone that goes into Season.” 

 

“Yeah I know what you mean,” Riku sighed, taking another frustrated bite of his fish, “It’s like one part of my brain is saying all this weird stuff, and the rest of my brain knows it isn’t normal, but my body isn’t paying attention.”

 

“Yes it can feel like that sometimes,” Sougo nodded, smile turning soft, “It must be even more jarring if you aren’t used to it. I promise, we’re going to make this Season as easy as possible for you Riku.  _ All  _ of us are going to do our very bests,  _ right boys?!” _

 

“Of course we are!” The three nervous voices of the Pythagoras Trio were quick to assure. Riku snickered at how frightened they sounded of their usually mild mannered bandmate.

 

“Good, in that case,” Sougo said, fixing his posture so he sat more like a prince on a throne than a boy on a couch, “I think I can release you from your punishment. But before you’re free to go, you’re all going to come over here and let me teach you how to properly pet a kitten in Season, so we don’t have an issue like this again.”

 

“Marvelous!” Nagi cried, jumping up from his spot on the floor and rushing to the couch, arms outstretched. Riku hissed in surprise and dove into Sougo’s lap.

 

“First things first,” Sougo bit out tersely, “Do. Not. Chase. Him.”

 

“Sorry!” Nagi squeaked ducking down behind the arm of the chair, “I’m sorry, Riku! I will calm down. No need to fear.” Riku peeked out from where he’d buried his face in Sougo’s stomach. Nagi was looking at him so hopefully with that too-beautiful face of his, there was no way Riku could stay mad at him. He sighed and sat up again, pulling himself out of the safety of Sougo’s arms.

 

“It’s okay Nagi,” Riku said, scooting closer to where Nagi crouched behind the armrest, “You just startled me a little.”

 

“Riku-kun’s senses are on high alert right now,” Yamato said leaning over the back of the couch, “We’re going to have to be careful for a bit until the cat part of him feels more comfortable around us.”

 

“I’m fine!” Riku insisted, not wanting to burden his bandmates anymore than he already had.

 

“It’s okay to need some time to adjust Riku,” Mitsuki said, sidling up next to Yamato, “Anyone would in your position. You just let us know if there’s anything we can do to help. Sound good?”

 

“Yeah,” Riku said, “that sounds great.”

 

“Wonderful!” Nagi said brightly, “Now Sougo-san, how do we pet our cute new kitten?!”

 

“Well the first thing you need to do is ask his permission,” Sougo said, pointing at now pouting-at-being-called-cute Riku, “Being in Season isn’t an invitation for anyone to just put their hands on him. It’s his body so he gets to decide who gets to touch it.”

 

“Right, of course” Nagi said, nodding seriously before putting on his most dazzling smile. He kneeled down before Riku and placed a hand over his heart, “Riku, my dear friend, would you do me the honor of allowing me to pet your beautiful ears and lovely soft tail?”

 

“DON’T MAKE IT WEIRD!” Mitsuki yelled, reaching over the couch to bop Nagi over the head.

 

“Yeah you don’t need to butter me up or anything Nagi,” Riku said blushing in embarrassment, “I’ll let you touch them if you want.”

 

“Excellent!” Nagi cried, clapping his hands, “And there’s no buttering here! I meant every word!”

 

“That almost makes it worse,” Mitsuki groaned, “Sougo just move on to the next step, before he says something even weirder.”

 

“Well, the next thing after he agrees to let you pet him is to hold out your hand,” Sougo said, holding his own out to Riku, palm up, in demonstration, “Don’t thrust it in his face, just gently extend it so he can see you’re not threatening. Then you wait for him to come to you. Most kittens will want to sniff you first, so you should let them do that if they try to.”

 

Everyone’s eyes turned on Riku and he froze up for a minute. How embarrassing! He wasn’t going to sniff Sougo’s hand while everyone was looking at him! That was so weird! Why was going into Season such a hassle?! Riku bet his Tenn-ni didn’t have to deal with this sort of thing!

 

“Sougo,” Yamato stage whispered behind his hand, “What do we do if he doesn’t want to sniff?”

 

“Then you just wait,” Sougo said, looking at Riku with a knowing glint in his eye, “Some kittens don’t want to sniff and that’s fine too. In that case you just hold out your hand and wait until they decide where they want to be pet. When they know that, then they’ll put your hand where they want it.”

 

Riku swallowed dryly. Okay, he could do that. But where did he want to be pet? Everyone had just sort of picked a spot up until now, so he hadn’t really had a chance to think about it. Riku guessed most of the places they’d picked had been fine, but if he had to choose a favorite then the spot Sougo had stroked when he unpinned his ears had felt the nicest. That seemed like the best place to start too, because Sougo would already know what to do if Riku put his hand there. So should he just grab Sougo’s hand and put it on his ears? No that didn’t seem right. 

 

Riku decided that maybe he could try listening to the cat part of his brain for a bit, since this was technically its jurisdiction. He leaned down to where Sougo held his hand out to him and blinked at it consideringly. Part of him still  _ really  _ wanted to sniff it but Riku still held off on going that far down the rabbit hole; instead he turned his face to he side and rubbed it against Sougo’s extended fingers. Sougo smiled and ran his fingers up into Riku’s hair until he got to one of his fluffy crimson ears. Sougo’s fingers started to scratch right at the base of it and Riku’s eyes fell to half-mast as the delightful feeling spread through his scalp.  

 

“So cute,” Nagi gushed from behind Riku, only to be shushed by Mitsuki. Sougo scritched at Riku’s ear until the redhead was purring steadily and trying to climb into his lap, then he pulled his hand away. Riku’s eyes snapped open and he whined at the loss of the pleasant sensation. Sougo smiled at him and then turned Riku’s shoulders so he was facing Nagi.

 

“Are you ready to try Nagi-san?” Sougo asked, lightly scooting Riku closer to their blond friend, “Just remember, slow and gentle.”

 

“Slow and gentle,” Nagi nodded, eyes serious as he carefully put out his hand, “ I will treat your ears like delicate flowers, Riku, I promise!”

 

“Stop saying strange things!” Mitsuki hissed, “You’re going to scare him off again!”

 

“It’s fine Mitsuki-san,” Riku said, shrugging his shoulders, “Nagi is just being Nagi.”

 

“That’s not an excuse,” Mitsuki pouted indignantly.

 

Riku grinned at his friend’s grumpy look. It made him feel a little less nervous about this whole mortifying experience. Mitsuki was just being Mitsuki about Nagi just being Nagi. And Mitsuki and Nagi were both people Riku would trust with his life, right? So there was no reason he should be worried about trusting them with his ears too. That thought seemed to calm the part of his mind that was anxiously warning him about strange people touching him. 

 

Holding onto the trust he had in his bandmate, Riku leaned over until Nagi’s long fingers brushed his ear. There was an aborted gasp from the older boy and then his fingers started moving. Like Sougo had instructed, Nagi was very gentle. He gingerly threaded nimble fingers through the downy fur covering Riku’s ear. He ran the pads of his fingers over their snowy white tip and Riku purred at the blissful feeling it caused. Nagi repeated the motion, seeing as Riku seemed to enjoy it, and the redhead’s eyes drifted close as a happy buzz came over him. Oh, this was way better than before! Sougo was right, slow and gentle was the way to go!

 

“Hey, Riku,” a soft voice reached him through his little trance. Riku lazily opened one eye and found Mitsuki holding a hand near his face. Not really thinking about it, Riku tilted his head forward and gave the offered fingers a sniff. His nose was filled with a familiar scent that had the kitten part of his mind rolling over in contentment. Mitsuki smelled safe, like family. “Riku, would it be okay if I pet your tail?”

 

Riku wanted to say yes, but he couldn’t really remember how at the moment. His mind had glazed over into a kind of touch-drunk haze that made everything seem warm and fuzzy. But Mitsuki was looking at him so hopefully and now that Riku thought about it, his tail might be getting jealous of all the attention his ears were getting. That wouldn’t do at all! 

 

“Mrrrrrroooowww,” Riku sighed out, looking at Mitsuki imploringly.

 

“Whhaaaaaaattt?” Mitsuki answered back in the same tone, grin lighting up his face. “Is that a yes?”

 

Riku frowned. Of course it was a yes! What else could it mean?! But Mitsuki wasn’t moving to pet him, he was still waiting on Riku. The redhead huffed in exasperation and whipped his tail around, waving it in front of Mitsuki’s face testily.

 

“I think that’s a big yes, Mitsu,” Yamato laughed, “You’d better start petting before he gets really mad.”

 

Mitsuki put his hands up defensively as Riku’s eyebrows knit in indignant confusion. Mitsuki said he would pet his tail and yet no tail petting was happening. Unacceptable! Riku bapped his shorter friend in the nose with the tip of his tail, hoping Mitsuki would get the message. 

 

Mitsuki laughed at his antics and took the tail in his hands. He wrapped his fist around the base and started steady strokes up, from there to the tip. Riku’s purrs roared to life once more and his eyes slipped closed. The lines in Riku’s face disappeared as the blissful haze from before fell over his mind again. This felt absolutely fantastic! Way different than when his friends had tried to pet him before. Both Nagi and Mitsuki were being careful not to overstimulate him and Riku was slowly melting into a puddle of paradise. 

 

_ This feels amazing,  _ the cat part of his mind called to him,  _ but you know what would make this even better?  _

 

Riku’s eyes fluttered open and caught sight of Yamato leaning casually over the back of the couch, hands conspicuously not petting him. The cat part of Riku’s brain decided that that would have to change, right away. Riku flipped himself over so he was laying belly-up on the couch, head in Nagi’s lap and tail still curled around Mitsuki’s grip, and locked eyes with his leader.

 

“Oh man that’s one serious face Riku,” Yamato said, raising an eyebrow at the younger boy, “Can I help you with something?” Learning from Mitsuki, Riku didn’t even try to say what he wanted this time. He just hiked up his sweatshirt so his stomach was bared and made grabbing motions at Yamato.  

 

“I think he’s asking for you to rub his stomach, Yamato-san,” Sougo said, smiling fondly, “That’s quite the show of trust, you should feel honored.”

 

“What?!” Yamato asked, face flushing. “No I can’t do that!”

 

“I’m not sure how much of a choice you have in it,” Sougo said earnestly. His face was solemn in utmost seriousness but the lilt in his voice gave away how amused he was with the situation. “Riku seems to be the type of kitten that is very demanding of affection. I suspect that if you rebuff him here, not only will he cry but he might not let you pet him at all in the future. I’m sure none of us want that.”

 

“But---”

 

“Yeah come on,  _ Onii-san, _ ” Mitsuki said, “You don’t want to make Riku cry do you?”

 

“No but---”

 

“Then it’s an easy decision, right?” Nagi said, giving Yamato an exaggerated wink.

 

“You all are really going to make me do it, aren’t you?” Yamato sighed, running a hand down his face. “Fine. If our spoiled little center wants a belly rub, then I guess that’s what he’s going to get.”

 

Riku turned his head to the side to hide his smug grin. Yamato gave another dramatic sigh at the catboy’s antics, but obligingly reached over the back of the couch to place his hand on Riku’s stomach. He rubbed his hand in slow circles up and down the younger boy’s abdomen until Riku’s purring had gone from soft and low to a full roar. Riku felt so warm and content, smothered in affection, his head lolled to the side and his eyelids felt like they were weighed down by sandbags. Maybe he could just rest them for a bit? His friend’s had said they wanted to pet him right? Surely they wouldn’t mind if he took a little nap while they indulged. With that thought in mind, Riku drifted off to dreamland.

 

**************

 

“Riku-kun,” A voice cut through his pleasant nap, “Riku-kun it’s time to wake up now.”

 

Riku groggily blinked his eyes open to find Tsumugi leaning over him. She smiled and held out her hand to help him up. Riku grabbed it with one hand and used the other to wipe the sleep from his eyes. She hoisted him to his feet and it was then he realized that he hadn’t been lying on a pillow, as he had assumed, but rather on someone’s lap. More specifically he’d apparently buried his face in Nagi’s lap and stayed there.

 

“Sorry Nagi!” Riku exclaimed, face going as red as his hair, “I don’t know what came over me!”

 

“It’s perfectly fine Riku,” Nagi smiled, giving Riku the O.K. sign with his fingers, “You were very cute and I got to play with your ears while I watched Kokona! It was a great way to spend my morning.”

 

“Spend your morning?” Riku asked, stomach sinking, “How long did I sleep for?!”

 

“Just a few hours,” Nagi grinned, “Long enough for me to get through a whole season.”

 

“Don’t worry too much about it Riku-kun,” Tsumugi said, patting his shoulder, “I hear going into Season can take a lot out of you, you’re body probably just needed a little extra rest to recuperate.”

 

“If you say so Manager,” Riku sighed, “Was there something you needed from me?”

 

“Oh yes,” She said, “I have good news. We’ve had great results with your In Season announcement. Quite a few programs have already called to book you for guest spots. The most prominent one is for this afternoon so we need to get ready right away.”

 

“Oh wow, that’s fantastic!” Yamato’s voice called from the kitchen. He walked back over with a tray full of drinks for everyone and Riku gladly downed his, thirsty from his long nap. “See Riku, I told you being in Season would be a good thing. Look at all this free publicity we’re getting now! Manager, what show is he going to be on, anyway?”

 

“The youth program Afterschool Shuffle has requested Riku-kun as one of the headliner guests for their annual Season special!” Tsumugi said clapping her hands in excitement. “It’s one of the most popular programs on a major network and their Season special tops the charts in ratings every year! This is such a great opportunity!”

 

“That does sound great. I used to watch that show all the time when I was younger. But I have a question,” Riku said, trying to smile through the growing dread bubbling up inside him, “You said they wanted me as  _ one  _ of their headliners right? So who’s the other one?”

 

“Ah, yes, that’s the one bit of bad news I have,” Tsumugi said, looking a little nervous. She reached into her bag and pulled out the job overview, handing it to Riku, “The other guest is the same person they have on every year.”

 

Riku took the paper, skimmed it for a second, and then paled. The page fluttered out of his limp fingers only to be grabbed out of the air by Nagi. The blond held it up so both he and Yamato could read it. In big bold letters, right under the show’s title, were the words, 

 

**GUEST STARRING: TRIGGER’S KUJOU TENN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Chapter 2! I'm having a lot of fun writing this and I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying it! Let me know what you think or if there's any interactions you'd like to see in the future!


	3. Chapter 3

Riku scrunched down further in the backseat of Tsumugi’s car as they pulled into the studio parking garage. His stomach was full of butterflies at the thought of what he was about to go do. He pulled his tail in closer to his chest, worrying it between his clenched hands the way a child might do to their favored blanket, and tried to focus on breathing deep and even. He caught Tsumugi’s concerned look as she eyed him through the rearview mirror and he tried to give her a smile. From the look on her face it must not have been a very convincing one. He had to pull it together! It wasn’t like they were really asking anything too difficult of him.

 

When he had first seen the paper that said he and Tenn were going to be on the same program together, Riku had been filled with a confusing mix of elation and dread. On one hand he would get to be on a show with his Tenn-ni! Just the two of them! But on the other hand he would have to be on a show with his Tenn-ni, just the two of them, when they were both in Season and showing matching extremely rare white-tipped coloring. With none of their bandmates to break up the picture, it wouldn’t take much for anyone to put two and two together and figure out they were twins. The backlash from their fanbases could be catastrophic! (No pun intended) And the last thing Riku wanted was to disappoint his fans or cause problems for his friends and his Tenn-ni. 

 

For a brief moment, Riku wanted to back out of the show. He wanted to tell Tsumugi to call them back and tell them he was sick or something, anything so he wouldn’t have to go on there and possibly destroy everyone’s reputations. But then he realized that that wouldn’t be possible. This was a big chance for Idolish7 to get some much needed publicity, and Riku knew how many of their younger fans would be tuning into the program just to see him. He could only imagine how important it could be for some kids to see their idol up there on television, telling them to be proud of their ears. He couldn’t take that away from them. No, he would have to do the spot. They were just going to have to play it very  _ very  _ carefully.

 

Riku jumped slightly when the car door next to him popped open. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed they’d parked. He blinked wide-eyed at Yamato’s encourage smile and outstretched hand that beckoned him out of the car. Riku gulped and released his tail, grabbing Yamato’s hand and letting his leader pull him out of the backseat.

 

“Come on Riku,” Yamato said, placing a hand on Riku’s head, “Perk those ears up! You’re about to be a headliner on major TV program but you look like you’re walking to the gallows. I know you’re nervous but there’s no need to worry. Just focus on giving a good show for our fans and Manager and I will take care of the rest, okay?”

 

“Okay, I’ll do my best,” Riku said quietly, trying to ignore the little flip his stomach gave at the thought, “I don’t know why I’m feeling like this. I’m excited to go on the show and I want to make everyone smile, but every time I think about people finding out about me and Tenn-ni my tummy gets all jittery.”

 

“Being in Season makes your hormones go haywire,” Tsumugi said, placing a comforting hand on Riku’s shoulder, “It can cause intense and irrational emotions, so it’s no wonder this kind of stressful situation if affecting you more than usual. Remember that Yamato-san and I are here to make it easier on you. If there’s anything we can do to make you feel better just let us know.”

 

“Exactly,” Yamato nodded, rubbing lightly at the base of one of Riku’s ears until a steady purr started in the boy’s chest, “Just keep us updated on what’s going on in that kitty brain of yours. It would have been better if MEZZO’’ didn’t have a radio program this afternoon too, Sou would have been a much better Cat-sitter. But as long as you tell Oni-san what’s wrong I will do my best to make it all better.”

 

“I’m fine, really,” Riku insisted, batting away the hand playing with his ears, “You shouldn’t have to trouble yourself with babysitting me.”

 

“Please, like there’s anything ‘troublesome’ about chaperoning my cute center on his first big solo spot!” Yamato said, laughing at Riku’s indignant pout, “Besides, think of all the pictures I’m going to get to tease Ichi with. This is no bother at all!”

 

“Boys,” Tsumugi said, warning edge glinting across her sweet tone, “As happy as I am that you two are having fun, we need to get going into the studio. We don’t want to make a bad impression by being late, do we?”

 

“No Manager!” The two said, hurrying to follow her towards the entrance to the studio.

 

As their little group got closer to the glass doors that led into the TV station’s lobby, Riku’s hackles started to rise. He could see a lot of people rushing around with arms full of papers and serious looks on their faces. It was quite a normal thing to see in busy studios and usually Riku wouldn’t have even noticed it, but the cat part of Riku’s mind was of a different opinion. It saw all those imposing strangers with their stern expressions and wanted to run and hide somewhere safe. 

 

_ That’s silly though!  _ Riku thought, trying to push down at the fear speeding up his heart rate,  _ No one here is going to hurt me! They probably won’t even notice I’m there! _ His arguments did not seem to help, unfortunately. His body kept responding to the fear instinct pulsing through his head. Riku felt his ears go back and his tail curled around him, finding its way back into his fidgeting hands. His steps began to slow, making him fall back behind his two companions.

 

“Everything okay, Riku?” Yamato asked, noticing his friend’s slowed pace and turning his head to find the problem. Riku looked up at him, eyes wide and body clenched tight, ready to bolt. Yamato blinked in confusion, wondering what could have happened in the last few minutes to make his friend so terrified.

 

“I’ll be fine Yamato-san,” Riku said, shaking his head like it would dislodge whatever was causing his distress, “There are just more people in the lobby than I was expecting.”

 

“More people?” Yamato asked with concern, stopping and looking between Riku and the glass doors. “Looks like the normal amount to me.”

 

“Yeah I don’t know,” Riku said, shoulders hunching down defensively, “I guess kittens don’t like strangers?”

 

“Huh,” Yamato said. He stared at where Tsumugi waiting for them by the doors with a worried look on her face, and then to Riku’s frustrated frown. Suddenly he had an epiphany. He ambled over to Riku with a grin and with a dramatic flourish, tucked the boy under his long trench-coat. “There problem solved.”

 

“Yamato-san!” Riku yelped, shuffling around under Yamato’s arm until he could stick his head out of the front of the coat, “What did you do that for?!”

 

“You were feeling scared right?” Yamato asked, adjusting his arm so that both he and Riku could fit comfortably under the folds of his coat before continuing to walk towards the lobby entrance, “Well the last few times you were scared you either ran to a dark safe place or looked for comfort from someone you trusted. I think this should cover both of those options. If you don’t want people to see you, then you can duck behind me and hide in my coat. And if you want some comfort then you can hold onto me. I know I’m probably not as soothing as Sougo but I promise I’ll give you the best hugs I can and I won’t let anyone touch you without your permission. So no need to worry, you’re Oni-san has everything taken care of.”

 

“Won’t this cause problems though?” Riku asked, letting go of his tail and tentatively wrapping his arms around Yamato’s waist. His leader was right, the close contact was already making Riku feel better, “I mean this isn’t exactly very professional.”

 

“I think it will be fine,” Yamato said, draping his coat so Riku’s face he was covered but still able to see, “You’re in Season and it’s not like you’re causing a disruption. No one should be bothered by it, right Manager?”

 

“No, if it makes you feel more comfortable then I have no objections,” Tsumugi assured them. Riku smiled gratefully at her as she held open the large glass door for them. The redhead squeezed in tighter to Yamato as the entered into the busy lobby.

 

The studio lobby was abuzz with activity, as was to be expected of one of Japan’s leading television production companies. Everyone was in a rush to get somewhere or to do something important. However the sudden spectacle of one spectacled idol hiding another idol in his coat caused several people to pause in their rushing to stare. While Riku was more than accustomed to having all eyes on him, in this particular instance he was feeling unusually shy. He caught Tsumugi subtly closing ranks at his side and he decided to take Yamato’s advice from before, tucking himself securely behind the taller boy’s back and hiding from view. There was a soft chorus of coos and giggles at his attempt to hide that had Riku blushing in humiliation. He felt Yamato place his hand over where Riku’s gripped his Leader’s shirt. Yamato gave his center’s hands a few sympathetic pats and then started walking toward the checking desk, Riku diligently matching him step for step. Quiet gasps and hushed whispered followed in their wake and Yamato had to struggle to keep a straight face. Tsumugi stepped in front of the two Idols as they reached the check-in desk and got one of the secretary’s attention.

 

“Hello I am Takanashi Tsumugi, here with Nanase Riku for today’s filming of Afterschool Shuffle,” She said with an experienced smile, handing over her ID, “I’d like to sign us in and get him to his dressing room as soon as possible please.”

 

“Oh of course! He’s the new Idol they’re having on for the Season Special right?” The secretary said happily. The kind looking woman took Tsumugi’s Takanashi Pro ID to scan into the system. 

 

“It’s the redhead from Idolish7, isn’t it?” Another secretary, this one younger looking with her hair in a tight ponytail, asked, “My daughter loves them, she never misses their webshow. She was ecstatic when she saw him with ears on the news this morning. She screamed so loud I thought she was going to wake the whole neighborhood.”

 

Riku heard a couple more excited murmurs coming from behind the desk and tentatively stuck his head out from under Yamato’s coat. The trio of secretaries that sat behind the large reception desk turned in their seats at the movement under Yamato’s coat and trained their eyes on the cat-eared boy. 

 

“Do you want to say Hi, Riku?” Yamato asked softly, pulling open the side of his coat a bit more so Riku could see better, “I think they might be fans.”

 

“Hi,” Riku said, raising a hand in a small wave, “It’s nice to meet you.”

 

“Oh my, aren’t you just the sweetest little thing!” The third and youngest looking secretary cooed, leaning forward over the desk to get a better look at him, “And what pretty ears you have.”

 

“Thank you,” Riku murmured, pulling at the tip of one of his ears in embarrassment. He still wasn’t used to getting compliments about his cat features. “I’m still getting used to them but I’m happy everyone seems to like them.”

 

“Is this your first time going into Season, Nanase-kun?” The first and apparently most senior secretary asked, handing over a Tsumugi’s ID along with clipboard full of papers that their Manager immediately began to fill out.

 

“No I went into Season a few times when I was younger,” Riku said, scooting around Yamato a bit so he could better address the woman, “But it’s been over ten years since the last time.”

 

“You must be having quite the adjustment period then, you poor dear,” The secretary with the  ponytail said. 

 

“No it’s been fine,” Riku said, shaking his head and grinning, “Everyone’s been so nice! Our group is full of really close friends and they’ve all been really understanding. I couldn’t ask for better people to be in Season around!”

 

“The feeling’s mutual of course,” Yamato said, wrapping his arm around Riku’s shoulders and threading his fingers through red hair, scratching one of the shorter boy’s ears until a happy purr bubbled up in his chest, “We’re all having fun playing with our new kitten.”

 

“Oh how adorable,” The youngest secretary said, smiling brightly at Yamato “Are you playing Mama Cat today?”

 

“Haha no!” Riku said giggling at Yamato’s flustered blush, “Yamato is Oni-san! If anyone’s Mama Cat it’s Sougo!”

 

“Oh, MEZZO’’s Osaka Sougo?” The youngest secretary asked eagerly, “He was in here a few weeks ago with Yotsuba Tamaki for a show. He did seem like the motherly type.”

 

“Sougo used to get ears every year, so he’s been very helpful,” Riku said happily, tail swishing back and forth and making Yamato’s coat ride up, “He even put everyone in timeout because they didn’t know how to pet me right! It was really funny.”

 

“Riku!” Yamato hissed, slapping a hand over the younger boy’s mouth, “Don’t tell them that!”

 

“Aww he’s like you’re embarrassing little brother,” The secretary with the ponytail giggled, “You can’t get too mad at him, Yamato-san. Just look at that face!”

 

She gave Riku a conspiratory wink and Riku blinked in confusion before he caught her drift. He let his ears droop a little and tilted his head to look up at Yamato with big sad kitten-eyes. Yamato’s throat gave out a little choked noise as he got caught in Riku’s gaze and the redhead let loose the smallest most pathetic mew he could muster. 

 

“Oh no now you’ve done it,” Yamato groaned, rubbing at his eyes under his glasses, “He hasn’t even attempted to use The Look on any of us yet. There’s no way we’re going to be able to say no to that, he’s going to get so spoiled.” Yamato dropped his hand from over Riku’s mouth and the center flashed the ponytail secretary a victory peace sign. This made her break out into laughter once more.

 

“Oh you boys are funny,” She said wiping a tear from her eye, “I see why my daughter likes you so much. Would you mind if I get a picture of you for her? It would make her whole week I think.”

 

“Would that be alright, Manager?” Yamato asked, turning to Tsumugi who was handing the completed paperwork back to the senior secretary.

 

“As long as Riku is comfortable with it and you two are quick, it should be fine,” Tsumugi nodded, gesturing to a young man with a headset that was walking over to them, “Then we have to follow this staff member to the dressing room right away, okay?”

 

“Don’t worry Manager,  we’ll make it fast!” Riku assured, wiggling out from under Yamato’s coat so the secretary could get a good picture. The two Idols leaned in close and flashed a pair of winning smiles for the ponytail secretary’s phone camera.

 

“Thank you so much!” She said, quickly texting the picture to her daughter before grabbing a brightly colored container out of her desk drawer “She’s going to love that. Here, why don’t you each take a candy as thanks?”

 

Yamato waved away the offer but Riku eagerly leaned over to get a look in colorful box. There was a large assortment of colorful wrappers and they all smelled delightful. Riku felt his nose twitch as he sniffed at his choices, and he hastily grabbed a small chocolate truffle before he got lost in any more cat impulses. Then he turned and dove back under Yamato’s coat, not wanting to face the lobby full of people. 

 

Yamato gave a little wave to the smiling secretaries and hurried along after the Tsumugi and their guide, Riku studiously following his steps from under his coat. He was pleased that Riku had made a good first impression with the ladies in reception, that was sure to travel through the building pretty quickly. It could only help them in the long run if Riku was well liked by the studio staff and luckily their center was charming enough on his own to win them over. A good reputation was sometimes better than actual talent when it came to show business. It was a fact Yamato knew all too well.

 

“This will be Nanase-san’s dressing room,” The man in the headset said, stopping after leading them down a few halls. He opened the door for them and followed after they entered, “Thank you for getting here so quickly and on such short notice. We always appreciate new faces for our Season special, it makes the kids so happy.”

 

“It was our pleasure of course,” Tsumugi said, bowing politely, “We were overjoyed to receive your invitation.”

 

“I’m glad to hear that,” Their guide said smiling, “Now the actual start of filming won’t be for a few hours still, we like to give our guests in Season plenty of time to relax and adjust before having to go on stage. In the meantime there is full cable and internet access on that television on the wall and a few gaming systems in the cabinet underneath it if you want to pass the time. There are also waters and juices in the fridge and a coffee machine on the counter, but if you want cream for it you’ll have to get on a chair to get it from on top of the fridge.”

 

“That seems like a bit of an inconvenient place to keep something so many people use,” Yamato said, shooing Riku out from under his coat and dropping down onto one of the plush couches.

 

“We move it up there when the Season starts,” The man said, grinning sheepishly, “We’ve had too many incidents of kittens drinking all of the half and half packs and making themselves sick.”

 

Tsumugi and Yamato both turned questioning eyes on Riku. The redhead currently had his eyes trained on the basket of creamer cups on top of the fridge. His tongue flicked over his lips hungrily and Tsumugi cleared her throat in warning. Riku jumped at the sound and whipped his head around to see a matching pair of unimpressed looks from his manager and group leader.

 

“I wasn’t gonna try anything!” He said quickly, cheeks blooming as red as his hair, “Honest! Who even drinks creamer packets? That’s just weird!”

 

“Uh-huh,” Yamato said, thoroughly unconvinced, “Sure you weren’t going to try anything. That’s why you were staring at the fridge like you were going to climb it like a tree.”

 

“Well that’s the fridge not the cream!” Riku said pouting, his tail puffing up with indignation and making Yamato laugh. Riku snatched up his tail and hurriedly tried to smooth down the ruffled fur, “I’m just a little hungry, that’s all!”

 

“No need to worry, Nanase-san,” Their guide said, smiling good naturedly at the blushing boy, “I’ll be sure to send down someone from craft services with some lunch for you.”

 

“Oh no please don’t trouble yourself,” Riku said, bashfully wringing his tail in his hands, “I’ll be fine, really.”

 

“It’s no trouble at all, Nanase-san,” The man said, taking a notepad and pen out of his back pocket, “Lunch and snacks are guaranteed in your contract. Plus, I’m certain no one on staff would forgive me if I let one of our precious Seasonal guests go on stage with an empty stomach. Do you have any special request?”

 

“Mitsuki told me you were craving fish this morning,” Tsumugi said, placing a hand on Riku’s shoulder, “I’m sure they have a seafood option if you’d like some more of that.”

 

“I’m kind of craving something sweet now though,” Riku said thoughtfully, eyes drifting back up to the basket of half and half packets on top of the fridge.

 

“No,” Yamato said, snapping his fingers in front of Riku’s face and breaking his eye-contact with forbidden elixir, “No sweets until after you eat real food for lunch. And no creamer shots!”

 

“I wasn’t gonna!” Riku said, crossing his arms and turning away from Yamato.

 

“It’s alright Nanase-san,” Their guide said, raising up his hands placatingly, “How about this; I know the catering staff here makes excellent sushi bentos. I can have them bring you one of those and then after your chaperones have seen you eat enough to be satisfied, you can pick the desert. Does that sound like a good plan?”

 

“Yes sir,” Riku said, nodding to the man, “Thank you very much for helping us.”

 

“It was my pleasure, Nanase-san,” The man said with a bright grin. He finished writing the lunch order in his notes and put it back in his pocket. He was just turning to go when he got a little spark in his eye. “Actually Nanase-san, if I could be so bold, would you mind if I…..”

 

He gently extended a hand to Riku, palm up and fingers extended. For a moment Riku thought he was going for a handshake but then the hand came up closer to his face.

 

Oh.

 

“U-um….” Riku stuttered, suddenly flustered at the thought of this stranger wanting to touch his ears. He wasn’t sure what to do. Was he okay with a random person touching him like that? Their guide had been very nice so far, it would be fine to let him pet Riku’s ears right? But Riku’s stomach flipped at the thought. His kitten side was terrified of the idea.

 

“Remember you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Yamato’s voice flowed over him like a cool rain, quieting the panic that threatened to flood his system. Riku felt when his older friend dropped a protective arm over his tense shoulders and he gratefully leaned into the touch, “Manager and I won’t let anyone touch you without your permission. And our new friend here will back off right away if you tell him too. So just take your time and make whatever decision you want to make. No one will be upset either way.”

 

Riku looked up at Yamato with thankful eyes. Yamato smiled at him a ruffled his hair. Feeling a little more settled and confident, Riku turned back to the man in the headset who was waiting with kind and patient eyes. Riku still felt that sniffing people was a really odd thing to do but he also knew it was probably what was going to make this decision for him. He felt his cheeks heat up at the awkwardness of the situation but he bent forward slightly and gave the fingers a few quick sniffs.

 

The man smelled….fine? Not nice like Mitsuki had, to be sure. His bandmate had smelled safe and warm like home, and Riku had felt instantly relaxed and happy after sniffing him. Their guide just smelt kind of neutral in comparison. But it quieted the anxiety coming off the cat part of Riku’s brain. Apparently as long as someone didn’t smell  _ bad  _ or  _ dangerous  _ (whatever those that meant) then the kitten in his head would stay calm. Riku was starting to realize he might have to get used to sniffing strangers if it was going to be like this every time someone want to pet him. 

 

Either way the man seemed to pass the kitten sniff test so, Riku guessed he should let the guy pet him. The whole situation felt super bizarre but the man had such a eager look on his face that Riku didn’t want to deny him. So the Idol gently butted his head against the man’s fingers and hoped for the best.

 

Riku felt lightly callused fingers dance over his scalp and land at the base of his right ear. The man scratched there, moving between one ear and the other, and making Riku hum appreciatively in the back of his throat. He gripped a fistful of Yamato’s shirt for reassurance before leaning more fully into the man’s petting. Riku tilted his head until he got the man’s fingers right where he wanted them and the a deep purr rumbled up in his chest. 

 

“Thank you so much, Nanase-san,” The man said, pulling his hand back and letting Riku blink away the head pet-induced haze. Their guide gave him a deep bow, “I truly appreciate it. It is a rare treat to be allowed to pet a child’s ears in Season. I’ll put your order in right away and make sure they get here quickly with your food. If you need anything, anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

 

Their guide gave them one final bow before hurrying out of the dressing room, closing the door behind him. All three people left in the room breathed a sigh of relief, flopping down onto one of the plush couches.

 

“Well that was a little stressful, huh?” Yamato sighed, giving Riku a hearty pat on the back.

 

“You were so gracious though, Riku,” Tsumugi said earnestly, turning proud eyes on Idolish7’s center, “That was very nice of you to let that staff member pet you. Most Idols don’t let studio personnel touch their Seasonal features.”

 

“Well he just looked so excited about it,” Riku shrugged, “He smelled fine so I figured if it made him happy then there was no reason to deny his request.”

 

“Yeah he was certainly a daring one,” Yamato mused, running a hand over Riku’s mussed locks, “Rumor is gonna spread that you let him do it too.”  

 

“Is that bad?” Riku asked nervously, “Did I mess up?!”

 

“No, no you’re fine,” Yamato said quickly, “Like manager said, you were very gracious. If anything this will give you a reputation for being kinder than their average guest which can only help us in the long run. But now that you’ve let one person pet you, a bunch more are also going to ask. Remember that you’re allowed to say no as many times as you want to, okay? Manager and I will take care of the rest.”

 

“Okay,” Riku said, smiling at the warm feeling that filled him up at Yamato’s words, “If Leader and Manager are taking care of me then I don’t have to worry, right?”

 

“Right,” Yamato nodded, “So then, what do you say to breaking out that game station? We should book kids programs more often if they offer stuff like that!”

 

Riku had just stood up to go look at their gaming options when there was a knock at the door. Yamato and Riku turned to Tsumugi to see if she knew who it could be but she looked just as confused as them. The manager stood from her seat on the couch and smoothed down her skirt before making her way over to the door. 

 

“Yes? Can I help you?” She asked, cracking the door open to see who was there. She gasped as a perfectly manicured hand wedged its way through the gap and forced the door open. Tsumugi stepped back in surprise and in walked TRIGGER’s manager, Anesagi Kaoru.

 

They looked as professional as ever, fashionable and calm with a serious look on their face that brokered no argument. They took a few steps into the room, their eyes flitting over Tsumugi and Yamato dismissively before landing on Riku. The redhead felt a shiver roll down his spine as their critical looked him up and down. The manager’s brow creased in frustration and he cleared his throat, waving a hand out into the hallway to beckon someone into the room. Seconds later Yaotome Gaku entered the room with Kujou Tenn close at his heels. 

 

Riku’s breath caught in his throat as whole world narrowed down in an instant, totally transfixed on his brother. Tenn was always beautiful in Riku’s eyes, with his elegant looks and charming smile, he was a shining example of everything Riku wished to achieve as an idol. But Tenn in Season was more than beautiful, he was positively resplendent. His peony pink ears and sleek silky tail gave him an air of both innocence and allure. The odd combination of opposites mixed with his naturally piercing fuschia eyes resulted in a truly bewitching sight. 

 

The longer he looked at his Tenn-ni, the more self conscious Riku started to feel about his own Seasonal features. It was no wonder Tenn was invited to do so many appearances while he was in Season, when he walked around looking like some kind of fey child. How could Riku, with his overly fluffy tail and wild twitchy ears, ever hope to compete with his someone as captivating as his older twin? Tenn was leaps and bounds above him not only in looks but in personality as well! They didn’t call him the Angel Idol for no reason. Tenn was a perfect professional both on and off stage.

 

Or at least that was usually the case. 

 

Riku was shocked out of his one man pity party when he noticed something odd about Tenn’s ears. Where usually they would be up, perky and pointed toward whoever was speaking, they were instead pressed down against his scalp. His luscious tail, normally so sleek and shiny, was currently fluffed with anxiety and lashing back and forth between his legs. His shoulders were hunched in protectively and he held himself like he was preparing for an attack. His whole body was wound tight as a spring, like his fight or flight response was running rampant. 

 

But the most jarring thing of all was Tenn’s hands. Tenn had one hand fisted in the side of his pants, twisting the fabric until it stretched tight over his thigh. The other hand was clinging to the fabric of Gaku’s shirt like a lifeline. Tenn was so fiercely independent, so unwilling to lean on others for support, that to see him literally reaching out to his bandmate for comfort shook Riku to his core. It was like sticking a fork in a light socket and Riku found himself taking a step back at the shock. Wild feline eyes zeroed in on his movement and Riku saw the tremor that ran through his brother’s hands as the twins locked eyes.

 

“Riku,” Tenn said in a pale imitation of his usual articulate tone. TRIGGER’s center drew himself up to his full height, obviously trying to appear as if he had everything under control, “We need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tenn has entered the stage! The next chapter is going to be super fun (for me at least idk about the twins)! I really enjoy reading all your comments, thank you to everyone who leaves them for me to read!


	4. Chapter 4

“We need to talk”

 

Tenn’s words hung in the air, sounding more ominous than should be allowed coming from someone in Season. Riku shivered at the tension, his brother’s piercing stare cutting right through him. Riku felt his own ears flick back, pressing tight to his head so he and Tenn were a matching pair. He found himself unconsciously shuffling to the right so he was hidden behind Yamato.

 

“Hey no, none of that,” Gaku said, waving a hand in front of Tenn’s face and breaking the twins’ eye-contact, “You knock that off right now, Tenn. We came because you wanted to talk to Nanase, remember? Do you think he’s going to want to talk to you if you scare the tail off him first?”

 

“Tenn-ni...wanted to talk to me?” Riku asked hesitantly, peeking his head around Yamato’s back.

 

“Yes,” Tenn said, clearing his throat and taking a cautious step away from Gaku’s side, “We need to talk about the show today, about what our behavior on it should reflect.”

 

“What do you mean?” Riku asked, tail swishing back and forth nervously at Tenn’s tone. He wasn’t used to hearing his brother sound so unsteady.

 

“This is a job, Riku,” Tenn said sternly, brow furrowing in seriousness, “Being in Season is no excuse for a lackluster performance on our part. If anything we must work even harder than normal so our fans don’t worry unnecessarily. Nothing comes before pleasing them, especially not something like having ears.”

 

“I know that,” Riku muttered, frowning in indignation. He might not be as accomplished an Idol as Tenn, but this wasn’t Riku’s first time on a television show. Did Tenn really think being in Season would throw Riku that much off his game? Did he really think his younger brother was that pathetic? “I may not be totally comfortable with my ears just yet, but I’m not going to let that stop me from bringing smiles to my fans! You don’t have to worry about me, Tenn-ni, I’ve got everything under control.” 

 

“You’ve yet to prove that to me,” Tenn said, crossing his arms over his chest and looking pointedly down his nose at Riku, “You’ve been at this studio for less than an hour and already I’ve heard rumors of you sneaking around under your leader’s clothes and letting strangers play with your ears. What kind of message does that send? If this is how you’re acting backstage, how can I know you’re going to keep it together when the cameras are rolling? And, for the record, I think it would be in both of our best interests if we didn’t refer to each other so familiarly while we’re working, Nanase-san.” 

 

“But Yamato-san said I was fine. Did I really do something wrong? ” Riku asked in a small voice, grabbing his tail and wringing it between his hands. His heartbeat speeding up as a terrible whirlwind of thoughts began to swirl through his head. “Now Tenn-ni….doesn’t want to be my Tenn-ni?”

 

“We have to be professionals,” Tenn went on, seemingly too caught up in trying to get out his own feelings to notice Riku’s sudden shift in behavior, “This show is important, especially to our younger fans. We can’t let our personal problems get in the way of giving them our best performance. And we can’t cause problems for our companies by letting our familial relationship get out to the public. Do you understand?”

 

Riku didn’t answer him, the redhead only stared wide-eyed at his older brother as years of pent up anxieties crashed over him like an avalanche. His Tenn-ni was mad at him. Riku had done something wrong and now his Tenn-ni was mad at him. So mad that he left home. So mad that he had left Riku all alone. So mad that he didn’t even want to be Riku’s Onii-chan any more. Riku felt his chest tighten, air becoming scarce, finding each breath harder and harder to accomplish. His body began to shiver like he’d suddenly stepped into a freezer. What had he done? Had he even done anything? Maybe he was just a bad person?! Why else would someone as good and kind as his Tenn-ni choose to leave their home?!

 

“Riku?” Yamato asked softly, concern mounting as he watched the younger boy curl in on himself and start to shake. When Riku didn’t look up at his call, Yamato leaned down so he could make eye contact with him. Riku’s eyes were dilated and his face was white as a sheet, every hair stood on end. That wasn’t a good sign. Yamato needed to snap him out of it before the redhead gave himself an attack. “Riku, talk to me, are you alright?” 

 

When his center didn’t answer him again, Yamato placed a hand on his shoulder. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Like a rubber band that was stretched taut and suddenly snapped back into place, Riku collapsed to his knees and began to sob.

 

“I’m s-so sorry Tenn-ni,” Riku bawled, dropping his face into his hands as the tears he’d been desperately holding back broke free and ran down his face, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry I was bad!”

 

“What?!” Tenn yelped, jolting back in shock. “What are you talking about?”

 

“I was bad and you left home because of it!” Riku wailed, scrubbing futilely at the tears on his cheeks, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to I swear! I tried so hard to be good. I was doing my best at being an idol and making everyone smile, just like Tenn-ni does. You were just starting to like me again but then I had to go into Season! Now you hate me and it’s all because of these  _ stupid ears. _ ”

 

Riku reached up and grabbed his ears, tearing at them in anguish. He dug in his nails, blind to the pain it caused the sensitive appendages, and tried desperately to pull off what he saw as the source of his Tenn-ni’s hatred. If he wasn’t in Season then he wouldn’t do things that made his Tenn-ni hate him! If he wasn’t a bad boy anymore then maybe Tenn would want to be his Onii-chan again, right?

 

“RIKU! NO! STOP THAT!” Yamato cried, frantically grabbing Riku’s wrists and tugging the younger boy’s hands away from his head. Riku yowled in protest, thrashing against Yamato’s grip in his frenzied attempt to appease his Tenn-ni’s anger. 

 

The two Idols struggled against each other for a moment before a deep growl cut through the room. The boys froze in their fighting and turned their attention to the three people standing in the doorway. Tenn stood hunched over, body coiled like a spring, ready to strike. His pupils were blown wide, barely a sliver of pink around the edge of dark black, and his lips curled up in a snarl showing Season-sharpened incisors. Riku shivered as his brother’s eyes locked on his before they darted over to where Yamato’s hands curled around Riku’s biceps.

 

“Tenn?” Gaku asked, voice taking on a soft concerned tone. “Hey, talk to me. What’s wrong?” He’d never seen his center so out of sorts. Tenn always made an effort to look completely put together, even while in Season. It always took Gaku and Ryuu at least a month into the Season to get Tenn to start responding to his instinctual urges, and even then it was only ever when the three were alone together. Tenn was generally a calm and cuddly kitten when he let himself be, but even at his most vulnerable he’d never gone this far into his Seasonal instincts.

 

“Let go!” Tenn spit venomously, inching forward with every twitch of Yamato’s hands, heedless to Gaku’s plea, “Let go of him! Let go of my Riku!”

 

“Tenn,” Gaku said in warning tone, reaching out a hand towards Tenn’s shoulder, “Calm down. Nikaido isn’t going to hurt your brother. Let’s all just relax and talk this out.”

 

“Yeah, Kujo, everything is fine. See?” Yamato slowly released his grip on Riku’s arms and took a careful step away from his shaking center, watching for Tenn’s reaction the whole time.

 

Riku’s eyes watered up again at the loss of contact from Yamato. His leader’s touch and scent were like a safety net, steadying Riku ever so slightly amongst the tempest of his roiling emotions. But now, with Yamato far enough away for Tenn’s instincts to deem him not a threat, Riku was once again frozen under the undivided attention of his older brother’s stare. Riku felt like he couldn’t breathe. Why wasn’t Yamato holding him? Why was Tenn-ni looking at him like that? This was all too much. Riku opened his mouth and let out a soft high-pitched mew for help.

 

That was all the signal Tenn needed. He wrenched his shoulder out of Gaku’s grip and pounced on Riku. The twins tumbled backwards onto the couch behind them with a muffled thump. Riku let out a pitiful cry of terror as Tenn wrapped himself bodily around him, blocking out the rest of the room. The redhead was certain Tenn was about to bite him, or dig into his sides with those suspiciously sharp looking nails. Instead, all he felt was a gentle kneading on his back and his Tenn-ni’s cheek rubbing long strokes over his own. A heady comforting scent filled his nose, like the soothing aura of home he smelled on his bandmates but multiplied a hundred times over. Riku felt dizzy with the euphoric fragrance. 

 

“Don’t cry Riku,” Tenn whispered, leaning in close to Riku’s twitching ears, “Your Tenn-ni is here and I don’t hate you. I could never hate you. I love my Riku more than anything else in the whole world.”

 

“Tenn-ni...doesn’t hate me?” Riku mumbled groggily, burying his nose in the crook of Tenn’s neck so he could take in more of that wondrously soothing scent, “Tenn-ni still wants to be my Onii-chan?”

 

“Of course I do, you silly thing,” Tenn admonished softly, not a hint of animosity in his tone as he placed a gentle kiss on Riku’s brow, “Nothing makes me happier than being your Onii-chan.”

 

Riku looked up and met Tenn’s gaze. His older brother’s eyes were filled with warmth and worry for him and Riku felt happiness bubble up in his chest. The crushing tightness in his lungs released and he felt his breath start to come more easily. A contented purr roared up inside him as Riku wrapped his arms around Tenn and returned his twin’s hug. Tenn responded in kind with a matching purr and soon the two were a blissful puddle of rubbing cheeks and waving tails.

 

Their joyful little bubble was popped by a shout.

 

“Hey you there! Stop!” Anesagi yelled, making both kittens jolt up in shock. The pink haired manager ran out of the room after the fleeing back of someone with a staff shirt and a cellphone clutched in their hands, “Come back here!”

 

“Staff-san, I insist you stop!” Tsumugi called frantically, hurrying after Anesagi as fast as her legs could carry her. Before she disappeared around the corner, she hollered over her shoulder “Yamato-san, Gaku-san, keep this door closed until we come back. Anesagi-san and I will take care of this, you two focus on taking care of your centers.”

 

The door slammed shut behind Tsumugi and all four Idols sat in stunned silence. The cheerful purrs that had previously filled the air were gone, liked they had been sucked out in the vacuum of the current event.

 

“Did….did he have a camera?” Tenn asked fearfully, “How long was he there? How much did he see?!”

 

“Oh no,” Riku cried, breathing picking up once again in his panic, “Oh god, its my fault! I’m so sorry Tenn-ni! I should have known better but these stupid ears are making have all these ridiculous thoughts! I know that’s not an excuse but please don’t--”

 

“Nanase, no, calm down,” Gaku said softly, voice steady and reassuring as he slowly made his way across the room to where the twins sat tangled together on the sofa, “Everything is fine. No one is mad at you. The only person who’s done anything wrong is that staff member who filmed you two without your permission.”

 

“Yeah, Riku, no need to worry,” Yamato said encouragingly, kneeling down so he could be eye-level with Riku, “Didn’t I tell you earlier that Manager and I would take care of everything? Well, you know how our Tsumugi can get when she’s angry, and I know from experience that Trigger’s manager is just as scary. They’ll catch that guy no sweat and deal with the issue before it even has the chance to become a problem. So just relax and let them do their job. Right now all you need to focus on is getting ready for your show, alright?”

 

“Alright,” Riku said quietly, cuddling further into Tenn’s embrace, “I’ll do my best not to worry.”

 

“That’s a good boy,” Yamato said cheerfully, reaching a hand out to ruffle Riku’s hair. However before Idolish7’s leader could make contact, Tenn swiped at him with one sharp-clawed hand. The elder twin hissed angrily and clutched Riku close to his chest. Yamato snatched his hand back, now sporting a set of five red raised scratch marks.

 

“Tenn what the hell has gotten into you?!” Gaku demanded furiously, grabbing Yamato’s hand and examining the damage. The scratches were pink and puffy but Tenn hadn’t managed to draw blood. Tenn pointedly looked away, not the least bit repentant. 

 

“My Riku,” Tenn murmured, possessively hugging his brother close, “Mine. Don’t touch him. I won’t let anyone hurt him anymore.”

 

“Nikaido wouldn’t hurt his own center, Tenn,” Gaku huffed, grabbing his younger bandmate by the scruff of the neck. Tenn immediately went limp in Gaku’s hold, arms dropping from where they furiously clutched Riku to his body and eyes drooping to half-mast. Gaku wrapped one arm around his bandmate’s abdomen and sat back onto the couch, pulling Tenn off of Riku and into the Trigger leader’s lap. Tenn’s fingers twitched toward Riku but he remained slumped in Gaku’s lap. The pink haired boy let out a low ‘mmmrrrrrrr’ sound from deep within his chest, ears flicking back against his scalp indignantly. 

 

“I don’t think he likes that, Yaotome,” Yamato said cautiously, standing up from his crouched position and motioning for Riku to scoot over to let him sit on the couch, “What exactly did you do anyway? I didn’t know kittens had an off switch.”

 

“Is Tenn-ni okay?” Riku asked nervously, unconsciously leaning his back into Yamato in search of comfort, “He sounds pretty mad.”

 

“Oh he’s fine,” Gaku assured, adjusting his grip on the back of Tenn’s neck so the younger boy’s chin tilted up. Then he reached up with the hand holding Tenn against his chest and began to scratch the underside of Tenn’s pale chin and neck. Tenn’s eyelids fluttered and his upset noises morphed into contented purrs. “There we go. See he was just a little grumpy because I scruffed him. He doesn’t like it one bit because it makes him seem ‘unprofessional’, but if he’s going to act like a  _ spoiled brat  _ then I have no choice but to treat him like one.”

 

“‘M an Idooollll,” Tenn mumbled drunkenly, ears swiveling about at the stimulation. “Nnnnot a braaat.” 

 

“Yeah okay, tell that to Nikaido’s hand,” Gaku snorted, rubbing his hand up and down the length of his captive’s exposed neck, only increasing Tenn’s purring, “Last I checked only bratty little kittens scratched at people instead of sharing their toys.”

 

“M’Riku’s not a toooyyyy” Tenn whined between purrs, fidgeting in Gaku’s grip, “M’Riku is m’baby brooother. Lemme gooooo Gakuuu.”

 

“Sure I’ll let you go,” Gaku said, “But first I think there’s something you want to say to Nikaido, right?”

 

“I’m sooooorrry Nyaaakaido-san,” Tenn mewled, squirming unhappily in Gaku’s grip and turning wide watery kitten eyes on Yamato, “I shouldn’t have scraaaatched you. It was meeeaaann and unprrrrrofessional. I won’t do it again, I prrrrrromise!”

 

“Well if you ‘prrrrromise’, then I suppose I can forgive you,” Yamato said, smirking cheekily and snaking an arm over Riku’s shoulder in full view of Tenn, “As long as you don’t get upset about me touching my own bandmate. I’m his Onii-chan too, afterall.”

 

“Fiiiiiiine,” Tenn bit out angrily, pawing weakly at Gaku’s hand, “As long as M’Riku is okaaaay with it, then you can peeeet him. But  _ only  _ if he’s okay with it.”

 

“You don’t have to worry about that, Tenn-ni!” Riku piped up, rubbing his cheek against the arm Yamato rested on his shoulder, “Yamato-san is really nice. He’s been taking great care of me! I really like it when he pets me too, so everything is okay!”

 

“There see, that wasn’t too difficult was it?” Gaku sighed, releasing his grip on Tenn’s neck and running his hand over the boy’s petal pink ears, “Now if everybody is calmed down and feeling better, maybe we can get back to getting ready for the show.”

 

Tenn haughtily batted Gaku’s hand away from his ears and carefully fixed his mussed hair. Then he slid out of his leaders lap and huffily straightened his clothing. He shot Gaku an offended look over his shoulder, his cheeks dusted ever so slightly with pink. Riku covered his mouth to stifle his giggles. He’d never seen his Tenn-ni be so cute and embarrassed! 

 

Tenn’s eyes shot over to Riku at the noise and all at once the memory of the past few minutes crashed over him. His face bloomed red as a rose in mortification. How could he have let himself go like that in front of other Idols? And in front of Riku no less! Today was just getting worse and worse!

 

“I’m sorry for laughing, Tenn-ni!” Riku said hurriedly, reaching out and taking one of Tenn’s hands in both of his, “It just makes me really happy to see Tenn-ni acting so cute! Your ears and tail are so soft and silky too! I’m sure Tenn-ni is the most perfect kitten in Season right now!”

 

“Nonsense,” Tenn said bashfully, “Besides you’re the most adorable kitten I’ve seen so far, Riku.”

 

“What?! ” Riku asked wide-eyed, pointing at himself as if he really couldn’t believe what his brother had said, “Me?”

 

“Of course,” Tenn nodded, as though such a thing was a foregone conclusion, “You ooze youthful naivety. And while your behaviour is not exactly professional for an Idol, it is what people look for from a kitten in Season.”

 

“But my emotions are all over the place and I just keep messing up because of it,” Riku insisted, ears drooping in uncertainty, “And I’m not cute. My ears and tail are a fluffy mess and I have almost no control over them. How can I compare to a kitten as beautiful as Tenn-ni?”

 

“Riku…” Tenn murmured unhappily, his ears falling low as a heartbroken look took over his face, “Is that really what you think?”

 

“It’s okay though,” Riku said, voice overly cheerful. He plastered on a fake grin to cover up his insecurity, “Tenn-ni is perfect, just as expected, and it's silly to compare myself to you. I should just focus on being the best cat I can be this Season, right? I’m going to try really hard to make everybody smile, that way my fans can feel proud of their ears and not worry!”

 

“You should feel proud about your ears too though, Riku,” Tenn said voice growing anxious. He took Riku’s hands into his own as his tail began to sway uneasily, “Riku is perfect too!”

 

“Nikaido, is this self-confidence issue of his normal or is it a Seasonal thing?” Gaku asked, making the twins jump a bit in surprise. They had been so wrapped up in each other that they had forgotten they weren’t alone in the room.

 

“I’m not sure to be honest,” Yamato said, voice troubled. He pulled Riku backwards into his lap and began running his hand over the boy’s drooping ears, “It seems to have just cropped up out of nowhere this morning. He was so worried everyone would be angry with him for going into Season that he tried to hide his tail and ears from us. After that he kept apologizing for little things that are normal for kids in Season. It took a good deal of mothering from Sougo for him to calm down and start listening to his instincts. So I want to say it’s Seasonal but….”

 

“But you think there’s more to it then that.” Gaku nodded in agreement, “I think you may be right. It makes sense for his mood swings to be all over the place if he’s not used to going into Season, but these kind of self-deprecating thoughts don’t just come from nothing.”

 

“Exactly,” Yamato said, as Riku snuggled up under his chin, “I think my little center has been hiding some things from his bandmates.”

 

“I just didn’t want to worry you,” Riku mumbled, snuffling his face into Yamato’s shoulder, “You’d all just tell me I’m silly anyway…”

 

“Riku…” Tenn whined, distraught clear in his voice, “I’m sorry!”

 

“No don’t be sorry Tenn-ni!” Riku said hurriedly, “You didn’t do anything! Honest!”

 

“But you’re hurting!” Tenn insisted, grabbing his tail and wringing between his hands, “You’re hurting because of me!”

 

“Alright enough.” Gaku said firmly, finality in his voice, “This is neither the time nor the place for this discussion. Why don’t we all table it for now? Let’s just focus on calming down before one of you has a panic attack. Tenn, do you want my coat?”

 

“You’re coat?” Yamato asked, surprised when Tenn only nodded his head, “It’s pretty warm in here, Yaotome. Why would he need your coat?”

 

“Because it’s loaded with my scent?” Gaku answered bemusedly, shrugging out of his knee-length overcoat and draping it over Tenn’s head, “I’m an older family member to his cat brain, so being surrounded by my scent makes him feel safe and calm. I thought you knew that after hearing those rumors of Nanase sneaking into the studio under your coat.”

 

“Oh no, he was just feeling shy,” Yamato said offhandedly as he watched Tenn gather the coat around himself and curl up into a ball, his eyelids drooping drowsily over thin-slit magenta pupils, “Though I suppose that makes sense.”

 

“Yamato-san?” Riku asked sweetly, looking up at Yamato with wide innocent eyes, “May I have your jacket too? Tenn-ni looks awfully comfy. I want to be comfy too!”

 

“Well how can I say no to that face?” Yamato chuckled softly, sliding his arms out of his own brown trenchcoat and tossing it over Riku’s head. “You’re going to end up more spoiled than ever this Season, aren’t you?”

 

“Mmmhmmmm~” Riku hummed happily, slipping his arms into the overly long sleeves of the coat and cuddling his face into Yamato’s chest. Yamato laughed at his antics and ran his hands over Riku’s back comfortingly. Riku felt all his worries and doubts float away, like butterflies on the breeze, as he was surrounded by warmth and the smell of family. He felt his eyelids close and decided it was a perfect time to take a nap. Cats had such tiring emotions; it was no wonder they slept all the time!

 

Yamato and Gaku sat on opposite ends of the couch, each sitting with their respective center wrapped up in their jacket on their lap. The twins dozed lightly, content to snooze away their down time until more pressing matters occurred, and the two leaders were more than happy to let them. The relative peace lasted for about twenty minutes.

 

Yamato was scrolling through his phone, just checking up on social media while he rubbed soothing circles on Riku’s back, when he heard a knock on the dressing room door. He met eyes with Gaku, who was similarly tapping away on his phone, and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Gaku frowned, gesturing to the sleeping Idols in their laps as if to say ‘well we can’t get up like this’. Luckily they didn’t have to.

 

“Yamato-san? Yaotome-san? It’s me,” Tsumugi’s voice called through the door, “We’re coming in, alright?”

 

The door opened and in walked Tsumugi and Anesagi followed by four men. One was obviously the rogue staff worker, seeing as he was in a staff shirt and flanked by two burly security. He was shaking slightly and his face was pinched in a way that made him look like he was on the verge of either all out sobbing or being sick. Yamato grimaced in distaste, unable to feel sorry for the man after what he’d almost done. Trying to exploit kids in Season, even if they were Idols, was the lowest of the low.

 

The other man that entered with the entourage was tall and well groomed. He wore an expensive looking suit, that was pressed with care. His hair was dark but sprinkled with gray at the sides and his brow was creased in a worried frown. He nodded at the security guards and they shut the door behind them.

 

The noise of the door closing roused the two sleeping boys from their naps. Matching sets of white-tipped and twitching ears emerged from under their blanket forts, and two pairs of slitted eyes blinked up questioningly at their leaders. The twins yawned in unison, stretching their arms up in mirrored poses before draping themselves lethargically over Gaku and Yamato.

 

“Oh my,” The well-dressed man whispered under his breath, “They really are twins.”

 

Riku and Tenn’s faces whipped around at the stranger’s voice, suddenly on high alert. Pupils widened and fur stood up on end as the crouched defensively into their bandmates’ laps.

 

“No wait! Please!” The man said frantically, holding up his hands to show he meant no harm, “My name Is Mr. Nakamura. I’m the head producer of Afterschool Rumble.”

 

“Nakamura-san was very helpful in catching the staff member who filmed you two without your consent,” Tsumugi interjected, further placating the nervous cats, “He wanted to come down and personally apologize for any trouble his employee has caused.”

 

“Indeed, Nakamura-san here assured us that this whole mess would be taken care of quickly and quietly,” Anesagi said, crossing their arms over their chest primly, “But he was adamant about speaking to the two kittens directly.”

 

“Yes, Nanase-kun, Kujo-kun.” Mr. Nakamura intoned seriously, nodding to each Idol in turn, “There are things that need to be discussed, and I didn’t feel comfortable not including you both in decisions that could impact your futures as Idols.”

 

Tenn and Riku shivered, bodies going cold like as icy fear pumped through their veins. Decisions that could impact their futures? Their careers? That didn’t bode well at all. Had the staff man already posted the video? Was this producer going to try to blackmail them with it? Between the two brothers, a thousand worst case scenarios must have ran through their heads. Unconsciously they reached out, and for the first time in years they linked hands. Both turned their heads, surprised at the contact, and looked searchingly into each other’s eyes. After a moment Riku smiled hesitantly, and nodded at Tenn. Tenn’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly and he nodded back at his brother. 

 

“Alright Producer-san,” Tenn said, intelligent eyes locking onto the older man, “Let’s discuss.”

 

The twins may not like what they were about to hear, but whatever it was they would face it together.

 

As family.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait everyone! I hope it was worth you patience! I know a lot of people were very excited for Tenn! Let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

“First and foremost,” Mr. Nakamura began seriously, bowing low at the waist to the twins, “I want to apologize for any distress caused by my employee. I assure you it is against the company’s policy as well as my own to trouble our valued guests or betray their trust by filming them without their consent. This transgression by the staff member in question is made even more egregious by that fact that it has upset two of our precious Seasonal guests, something no upstanding person would knowingly do. I am so sorry, Nanase-kun and Kujou-kun, that you have been hurt while under our care. I humbly ask that you not judge our company’s merit on the faults of this one member of our staff and agree to go on with the show.”

 

“Of course we’re going to go on with the show!” Riku cried indignantly, lurching forward in a way that would have sent him toppling off the couch if not for Yamato’s grip around his waist, “Manager said this was an important appearance for our fans, especially for the younger ones who went into Season today. We can’t disappoint them just because we’re upset, right?”

 

“What Riku means,” Tenn said, placing a finger on his twins lips to keep the younger from babbling, “Is that we are professionals and we won’t let something like this keep us from fulfilling the expectations of our fans. Their happiness is our happiness and we strive to keep them smiling. However this was a very _unprofessional_ invasion of our privacy by your employee and I think I speak for both of us when I say we need to know what’s happening with the footage he took.”

 

“Of course, of course,” Mr. Nakamura said nodding emphatically at the boys, “Security caught him and confiscated his phone just moments after your managers started pursuit. They were able to erase the video before he was able to upload it to any social media sites or email it to the press. Your secret is still currently safe, the only people who are in the know are the ones in this room right now. I’ve sworn these staff members to secrecy at the risk of their jobs, I assure you that they won’t be leaking anything.”

 

“Well that’s good at least,” Yamato sighed, scratching idly at the base of Riku’s ears, “What’d I tell you buddy? Everything’s dealt with quick and easy; no mess to clean up, no secrets leaked, nothing to worry about.”

 

“Yeah you were right, Yamato-san,” Riku said, smiling brightly and tilting his head against the hand scratching him, “I’m sorry I got so worked up. I promise to be more careful about spilling our secret like that in the future.”

 

“If I may interject,” Mr. Nakamura said, clearing his throat and taking on a gentle tone, “While what my employee did was absolutely abhorrent, especially concerning the vulnerable constitutions of two kittens freshly In Season, it has brought a certain problem to light.”

 

“What do you mean?” Gaku asked, voice taking on a deep gruffness as he wrapped a protective arm around Tenn, “Didn’t you just swear to us that none of your staff would leak this to the press.”

 

“Yes! And I stand by that!” The producer was quick to assure them, “But looking at the two of them now….well you have to admit that that kind of Seasonal coloring is very rare. Then add to that their matching feline mannerisms, their similar facial features, and their ages? People are going to start putting two and two together. While we may have stopped the actual leak, there are going to be rumors flying everywhere by the end our show today I guarantee it. I doubt the two of you will be able to make it through the Season without your relation coming to light.”

 

“Unfortunately, I have to agree with Nakamura-san on this,” Anesagi said, running their scrutinizing gaze over the two boys and holding their chin in thought, “Their looks are too striking for it not to come up as a possibility. The press is going to send out the muckrakers for sure, they’ll be snooping about by the first commercial break. I doubt we’ll make it to the end of the week before one of them strikes gold. We’re going to have to start planning now if we want to be ready for that.”

 

“How much blowback do you from the fanbase?” Tsumugi asked seriously, already pulling out her phone and drafting an email to Banri about a possible PR scandal, “I think it would be in both of our best interests if we corroborated our statements, since both our companies are involved now.”

 

“Yes, I believe that’s best as well,” Anesagi nodded, they were about to continue but they stopped when they saw the worried looks on the four Idols’ faces. Their expression softened for a moment before snapping back into their business face. They turned on their heels so they were facing the producer, “Nakamura-san, please have your staff bring Tenn and Gaku’s lunches to this dressing room instead. The kittens are obviously still worked up about this whole debacle, separating them now will only make it worse. Then we can all go talk in that meeting room I saw down the hall. I’m assuming those televisions on the wall have internet hookups, right? Takanashi-san and I can conference call our company presidents from there and figure out this whole mess in private. I don’t want all this business talk to ruin Tenn’s appetite any more than this incident already has. You can’t expect kittens to perform on an empty stomach can you, Nakamura-san?”

 

“Of course not, of course not!” Mr. Nakamura said hurriedly, stepping backwards away from Anesagi’s accusing stare, “I’ll have the food, and anything else they need brought here immediately.”

 

“That’s very kind of you,” Tsumugi said calmly, polite smile tinged with an edge that brokered no argument, “I’d very much appreciate it if you brought the offending staff member with us as well. I think the presidents will both have some things to say to him regarding this matter, and frankly I don’t want him out of my sight until this whole little issue is dealt with.”

 

“We can certainly accommodate that request, Takanashi-san” Mr. Nakamura gulped nervously, bowing to both of the managers before leading them, as well as the two security guards and the quivering staff, member out of the room.

 

“Nobody leaves this room until we get back,” Anesagi said sternly over their shoulder before stepping out of the room.

 

“We’ll figure everything out,” Tsumugi said calmly, tone full of a soft reassurance that caused twin sets of flattened ears to perk up a bit, “You two just rest and prepare for the show.”

 

Then she too stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her and the room was once again plunged into an uncomfortable silence. Riku and Tenn huddled closer together on the couch, curling their tails around each other for comfort. It was easy to tell from their hunched shoulders and pinned-back ears that they were anything but relaxed about the situation. Yamato draped his coat over Riku’s back and ran a concerned hand through the younger boy’s hair. This supposedly easy children’s show job had turned into a nightmare, and Idolish7’s leader wasn’t sure what he could do to help his little center deal with the mess. Luckily for him, the most senior of them had a pretty good idea about it.

 

“Oi, Nikaido, want to see something funny?” Gaku asked, mischievous smirk blooming on his handsome face.

 

“Funny?” Yamato asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

 

“Yes, to lighten the mood,” Gaku nodded, rummaging around in one of the pockets of his jacket still pooled around Tenn’s hips, “I have something in here that is sure to cheer up any pouting kitten.”

 

“Gaku,” Tenn said, narrowing threatening thin-slit eyes on his leader, “If you’re planning on doing what I think think you’re planning on doing; Don’t.”

 

“What’s the matter Tenn?” Gaku said, smiling slyly and pulling a small tube out of the jacket’s pocket with a flourish, “Don’t you want to play with your old friend Mr. Light?”

 

“No!” Tenn hissed, cheeks flushing a brilliant red and hair fluffing up in indignation, “I most certainly do not!”

 

“What’s Mr. Light?” Riku asked, leaning over Tenn’s shoulder to sniff at the tube in Gaku’s hand.

 

“I’m so glad you asked, Riku,” Gaku said, holding out the tube and pointing it towards the floor, “Look there.”

 

Riku blinked at Gaku in confusion but dutifully turned his gaze to the floor. He froze, eyes going wide as they locked onto the tiny red dot flickering over the white tiles. His previously drooping ears perked up and he slowly sat back on his haunches, never taking his eyes off the dot.

 

“Gaku.” Tenn said sternly, making a concerted effort to keep his eyes off the floor and far away from the light, “Stop it. Now.”

 

“Why Tenn, I don’t know what you mean,” Gaku said smugly, clicking the button on the laser pointer a few times to keep Riku’s attention. “I’m not doing anything.”

 

“Yes, you are!” Ten insisted, swatting at Gaku’s leg, “Stop it! It’s embarrassing!”

 

“There’s nothing embarrassing about playing with Mr.Light,” Gaku said, putting on an overly dramatic pout, “Look, your brother agrees with me.”

 

Riku, sure enough, was leaning back on the balls of his feet, tail waving back and forth in the air behind him, eyes blown wide and trained on the little blinking red dot on the ground. Gaku moved the laser pointer in a slow figure eight pattern on the floor and Riku’s eyes followed its every move. The redhead pulled his body into a lower crouch, bottom wiggling back and forth as he aimed his trajectory and readied himself to pounce.

 

“Hey Yaotome,” Yamato said, pointing an accusing finger at Gaku, “Don’t tease my center like that. He’s not used to being a kitten, he doesn’t know how to control his impulses.”

 

“He’s fine, Nikaido,” Gaku waived him off flippantly, “A little playtime with Mr. Light will help him run off all that nervous energy he’s got pent up. He’ll love it, watch.”

 

“No wait--” Yamato started to object, but he wasn’t quick enough. Just then Riku’s back legs sprung out, rocketing him off the couch as he leapt at the glowing red dot on the floor. Gaku let out a whoop of laughter and darted the pointer across the room, sending Riku skittering after it. Just as Riku got to where Gaku let the light rest, the older Idol would send it flying off to the other side of the room, leading the redhead on a frenzied four-legged chase.

 

Yamato would have intervened, if it weren’t for the bright smile and sparkling eyes decorating his young friend’s face. This chase, while silly, was distracting Riku from his worries, just as Gaku had promised it would. Yamato couldn’t help but grin at the happy stream of giggles that bubbled out of Riku’s mouth as the boy flew past the couch after his new friend Mr. Light. Yamato turned to commend Gaku for his idea but Gaku held a finger up to his lips when the two leaders met eyes. Yamato raised an eyebrow in question, and Gaku gestered sneakily at the shorter boy sat between them both. Yamato looked down and had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing at the sight before him.

 

Tenn watched his brother chase the dot with wide starry eyes. His head jerked around with every turn and twist Riku made on his quest to catch the light. His ears swivelled about excitedly and his tail was raised up and twitching with joy. The cherry on top of it all was his big goofy smile that spread from cheek to cheek. All together the picture painted was not that of the ever professional angel of an Idol that was Kujou Tenn, but rather that of a far younger Nanase Tenn happy to see his little brother having fun.

 

“See, what did I tell you,” Gaku said smugly, running to the light in a wide circle in front of the couch for Riku to chase, “No embarrassment here. All I see is a kitten having a good old play session. Your brother certainly makes a cute cat, Tenn. Are you sure you two are twins? I’ve never seen you this openly adorable, have you been holding out on me?”

 

“Shut up!” Tenn huffed, cheeks coloring a brilliant crimson as he crossed his arms over his chest, “You haven’t seen me this far gone because I know how to _control myself._ Riku doesn’t know how to comport himself like a professional In Season because he’s never had to learn to deal with the feline impulses. I, on the other hand, learned how to behave over ten years ago.”

 

“Oh is that so?” Gaku asked teasingly, moving the laser pointer back and forth quickly so Riku’s (and therefore Tenn’s) face followed it, “Does that mean it’s you job as Nanase’s older and wiser twin brother to teach him the ropes?”

 

“I..guess,” Ten mumbled, a bit too focused on Riku’s agile scampering to really comprehend what Gaku was saying. His ears swivelled forward and magenta eyes went wide as they zeroed in on their prey, but Tenn shook his head to break the spell. “I mean yes, of course. It’s my responsibility as a more experienced Idol to show him how to behave as a professional.”

 

“Well then I think it’s about time you got to it,” Gaku said, smiling impishly at Yamato, “Wouldn’t you agree, Nikaido?”

 

“Oh yes!” Yamato agreed heartily, sending Gaku a conspiratorial wink, “It’s a good Onii-san’s job to make sure their younger siblings know everything they need to know to succeed.”

 

“Right,” Tenn nodded, not paying either of them enough attention to see their scheming looks. He was once again enraptured by the flicking of Riku’s tail as he chased the light on the ground. “Gotta help him.”

 

Before either of the older boys could egg him on any further, Tenn leapt off the couch. He  pounced on top of his brother, sending them both rolling to the ground with a matching pair of feline yowls. They scuffled playfully for a moment before Tenn, far more experienced in the art of a cat fight, came out the victor. The pink haired boy perched primly on his twin’s back, pinning the younger one to the floor. Tenn sniffed inquisitively around Riku’s face, checking for any distress or difficulty breathing, before leaning back in satisfaction. Riku pouted, trying to push himself up off the floor only for his twin’s sharp-clawed fingers to prick his shoulders in a warning grip. Riku mewed in submission and laid back down on his belly. Tenn smiled in a particularly self-satisfied way and started to gently knead at the muscles in Riku’s shoulder blades.

 

“Now Riku, I know your instincts are very powerful right now, but you have to be more conscious of your image while you’re in season,” Tenn started to lecture, all the while massaging Riku’s back and sending the redhead into a purring puddle of bliss, “You must strive to look your best whenever you are in public. You never know when fans might be watching. While chasing things with wild abandon may be _fun,_ it doesn’t leave you looking very professional now does it? Just look at your ears, they’re a mess!”

 

“Nagi said my ears were pretty,” Riku huffed petulantly, wiggling his ears in protest, “Besides I woke up with them all fluffy like this. I think they’re just naturally messy ears, so there isn’t much I can do.”

 

“How have you tried grooming them?” Tenn asked, running his fingers through the downy softness to see if he could arrange the fur into a more manageable style, “Have you tried a styling comb and product or have you just been using your saliva?”

 

“My what? Ew Tenn-ni that’s gross!” Riku said with a giggle, trying to once again wriggle out from underneath Tenn.

 

“Riku,” Tenn said, tone lilting in a sugar-sweet way that had Gaku freezing up on the couch, “Am I to understand that you haven’t even tried to groom your ears yet?”

 

“Hmm? No, I tried to brush them earlier,” Riku said, craning his head back to look at Tenn. However his twin’s unblinking gaze was fixed accusingly on where Yamato sat on the couch, “It only made it worse though, because of all the static. So I just dunked my head under the shower before we came here to settle it down a bit.”

 

“So what you’re telling me,” Tenn began, the tip of his tail twitching in irritation, “Is that no one has explained to you the basics of how you’re supposed to take care of your new body parts?”

 

“Hey! He said he’d gone into Season before!” Yamato said defensively, “I figured he was fine! How was I supposed to know there’s some special method to grooming his ears, I’ve never been a cat before!”

 

“You’re his leader aren’t you?” Tenn shot back venomously, “Any responsible leader would have researched such a thing as soon as one of their members went into Season. I take back what I said earlier about allowing you to be Riku’s secondary Onii-chan, as you obviously can’t be trusted with such a responsibility.”

 

“Tenn-nii don’t be mean to Yamato-san!” Riku said, folding his ears back in displeasure, “He’s doing his best! He’s been so nice to me and has helped me a lot today!”

 

The two twins stared each other for a moment, ears back and tails thrashing, battling silently for dominance. After a tense beat where both Yamato and Gaku thought they were going to have to step in, Ten let out a big gust of a sigh and broke eye contact.

 

“Fine,” He said with a put-upon harumph, “I will leave him alone, _for now,_ but in exchange you have to let me fix your ears for you. I’ll talk to your manager about which products will work best with your fur type, as well as any other supplies she’ll need to pick up for you if your company hasn’t provided them yet. At the moment though, I think doing this the old fashioned way would be best for your ears.”

 

“The old fashioned way?” Riku asked, wincing slightly when he remembered Tenn’s previous question, “You don’t mean my spit, do you?!”

 

“No,” Tenn chirped happily, grabbing the sides of Riku’s head and gently but firmly turning it so he was looking away from Tenn, “I mean mine.”

 

“Wait what---” Riku started only to freeze when he felt something warm and rough run over the back of his right ear.

 

Oh god! His Tenn-nii was licking him!

 

Riku stayed frozen, unsure of what to do about this sudden strange turn of events, when he felt Tenn make another pass. This lick felt more sure than the first one, running from the base of his ear to the tip. Riku felt a shiver run up his spine. He figured struggling was probably useless at this point if he hadn’t managed to get away so far. Should he ask Tenn to stop? He was sure his Tenn-nii would stop if Riku asked, but is that really what he wanted? Cats licked each other all the time rdidn’t they? And Tenn-nii had said he only wanted to help tame Riku’s messy ears right? So maybe Riku should just let him do it if it made his Tenn-nii happy. After all, now that Riku focused on it, Tenn’s ministrations did feel nice.

 

They felt extremely nice actually. Far nicer than someone licking him ought to feel. Riku closed his eyes and let his body relax. Tenn rewarded him with a contented purr and the renewed kneading at his tense shoulder. Riku sighed in delight, pulling his arms from where they were squeezed underneath his chest and stretching them out in front of him. Two more licks from Tenn had Riku purring and kneading his claws into the side of the couch pleasure.

 

“Uh, should we just….let them do that?” Yamato asked in concern, leaning over the arm of the couch at the pile of kitten slowly destroying the upholstery, “I don’t want them to have any more trouble today and that looks like the start of trouble.”

 

“Let them have their fun, Nikaido,” Gaku said with a laid-back shrug, “They knew this was a dressing room for an In Season guest, they wouldn’t put anything in here they would miss getting torn up. This is a kids show, they know cats scratch, trust me our centers are fine.”

 

“Fine is a relative term here, I think,” Yamato said, shaking his head at the little chirps Riku was making at Tenn nipping around his left ear, “That just looks weird.”

 

“They’re bonding,” Gaku said casually, standing up from the couch and stretching his back, “I think it’s cute. Long-lost littermates reuniting and all that jazz. They’re like something out of one of those feel-good dramas they play on daytime TV.”

 

“I guess,” Yamato said, letting out a bark of laughter, “Just how much daytime TV are you watching, Mr. Most-Desired-Embrace-san?”

 

“Nevermind that,” Gaku said quickly, turning away from Yamato. He wasn’t quick enough to hide the faint blush on his cheeks however, making Yamato smirk knowingly, “I’m thirsty, do you want a coffee?”

 

“Coffee?!” Riku asked excitedly, suddenly perking up from his grooming fugue state, “Are you making coffee, Yaotome-san?”

 

“No,” Yamato said firmly, pointing an accusing finger at his center’s scheming smile, “I know what you’re thinking and No. No creamers!”

 

“Aaawww,” Riku pouted, “I wasn’t gonna--”

 

“Nope!” Yamato said, waggling his finger, “You’re not getting out of this one with the cute eyes. I won’t let you make yourself sick right before a TV spot. Tsumugi would kill me and you know it.”

 

“Fine,” Riku sighed, ears drooping in resignation, “You’re right. I’m just really hungry right now.”

 

“Don’t worry,” Tenn said soothingly, gently turning Riku’s head back to it’s previous position so he could once again lave at his brother’s ears, “Anesagi said they were sending catering up here for us. We’ll have something to eat soon, something that won’t give you a stomach ache.”

 

“I know,” Riku sighed dramatically, turning over in Tenn’s grip and sitting up so they were now nose to nose, “But I still want the cream.”

 

“I understand,” Tenn said, deadpan, “It is a constant struggle every kitten must come to grips with at some point.”

 

Riku blinked owlishly at Tenn’s somber face for a second before both boys broke down in giggles. Riku gently shoved Tenn’s shoulder and the two rolled onto their sides, curling together. Riku, still giggling, butted his head under Tenn’s chin until the older twin once again started licking his ears. Yamato and Gaku couldn’t help but smile at the heartwarming sight, the silver haired man grabbing them both a coffee before sitting back on the couch to take in the tender sight.

 

Unfortunately the cheerful moment didn’t last long.

 

The door opened without so much as a knock and both managers quickly stepped into the room. Tsumugi quietly shut the door behind them and Anesagi held up a tablet to the room. The tablet showed a split screen video call with both Idol producers. Both kittens looked up curiously and instantly stopped in the middle of their grooming, Tenn’s tongue on Riku’s ear and Riku’s fingers curled around Tenn’s tail.

 

“Oh dear,” Otoharu mutter after a moment, “It’s worse than we thought. I’m sorry, Sousuke, but I’m afraid we’re going to have to work together after all.”

 

“Unfortunately, I agree,” Gaku’s Father ground out, voice livid, “Something is going to have to be done.”

 

Riku felt a pit drop in his stomach. He clutched desperately at Tenn, clinging tightly to his brother. He had the sudden sinking feeling that, despite what Gaku had said earlier, they still had plenty of trouble ahead of them.

 

And their next obstacle had just presented itself.


	6. Chapter 6

Riku clutched his tail between his hands as he curled tighter into his brother’s chest. Tenn’s tail wrapped possessively around Riku’s waist and the older twin’s hands buried themselves deep into the crimson locks on the younger’s head. The tips of both their tails twitched in agitation and a harmony of upset growls were rising up unbidden in both boys chests as they watched the heated conversation between their producers rise in volume.

 

“I won’t have it Otoharu,” Mr. Yaotome ground out, gnashing his teeth like some sort of raging animal, “This sort of thing could  _ ruin  _ TRIGGER’s reputation. I’m pulling my idol from the show and slapping a gag order on that studio before any more damage can be done.”

 

“That won’t work and you know it,” Mr. Takanashi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, “It’s like putting a bandaid on a broken leg, Sousuke, it might make you feel better for a moment but it’s not going to fix anything, it’s just going to make it harder to heal in the long run. We need to focus on actual solutions here.”

 

“The only _actual solution_ I’m considering _”_ TRIGGER’s boss said, eyes dark with frustration, “Is making sure Tenn is kept far away from your brat for the rest of the Season, before that rookie manages to put a blemish on my star act’s perfect reputation!”

 

“Dammit old man!” Gaku yelled, breaking through the cycle of argument that the two producers had been going through for the last ten minutes, “If you think separating them now will do either of them any good then you must be going blind in your old age! Just take your head out of your ass and look at them!”

 

“Don’t you raise your voice to me--”

 

“Sousuke, wait,” Mr. Takanashi said, voice going quiet and serious, “Look.”

 

“Oh what could possibly be so…” Sousuke started to say, before his words died off as he caught sight of the two In Season boys. 

 

The two kittens were wrapped so tightly in each other’s embrace that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. Tenn tried to put on a brave face but his ears were plastered against his scalp and his pupils were blown wide with anxiety. Riku clung tight to his brother, like Tenn was the only thing stopping him from having a total meltdown. His eyes were clenched shut, wet around the edges, and his ears trembled from their place pinned back against his head. All together it made quite the pitiful sight and it was obvious to anyone who saw it that trying to pull them apart would only result in tears. 

 

“If you’re all quite done making a racket,” Anesagi said, raising an eyebrow at the three grown men arguing like children, “I may have a solution to our little issue here. While I hate to say it, I’m afraid that I agree with Takanashi-san in this instance. Pulling Tenn from the show now is not going to solve the problem, it’s just going to have the gossip hounds on our trail sooner than they already would have been. The showrunner here had a point when he said the truth would come out eventually if they’re seen near each other, it’s not like that kind of Seasonal coloring is common. I’ve had the PR unit do a scan of the fanpages and the usual social media circles and there are already theories floating around from just the pictures released to the news outlets this morning. Even if they aren’t together on stage, the gossip pages will have their muckrakers dig up their secret by the end of the week at the absolute latest. By then you’ll have already stressed and upset both boys more than either can stand durring a Season and it will all have been for nothing.”

 

“Then what do you propose we do, Anesagi-san?” Mr. Takanashi asked. Anesagi turned their head and locked eyes with Sousuke, waiting for their boss’s terse nod of assent before they went on.

 

“Well, as Tenn’s manager,” Anesagi said, strolling over to the boys, holding their hand out to Tenn who gave it a cursory sniff before hesitantly pushing his head under Anesagi’s fingers, “I’ll say that I think it would be in his best interest to be allowed easy access to his twin during the Season. It will greatly cut back on the increased stress brought on by his physiology and extra workload this time of year brings. I’m sure Takanashi-chan will agree the same can be said for Nanase-kun as well, right?”

 

“Yes,” Tsumugi nodded, face set in determination, “Riku will be much calmer and happier if he and Kujo-san are allowed to interact more during this year’s Season. In the interest of Riku’s health, I would request that the two be allowed to see each other more frequently.”

 

“I agree! We can arrange some playdates for them later, Tsumugi-chan,” Anesagi teased, winking conspiratorially at Tsumugi before turning their attention back on the two producer, “Now on the other hand, as someone with a good eye for PR, I think we are missing a golden opportunity in all this talk of crisis.”

 

“Golden opportunity, huh?” Sousuke hummed, face melting into the mask of businessman assessing an investment, “Go on then Anesagi. Sell me on it.”

 

“We have to assume that the fact that they are twins is going to come out eventually,” Anesagi stated, running thoughtful fingers over Tenn’s ears, “I propose that instead of just preparing for someone else to break the news, that we do it ourselves. That way we can spin it exactly how we want to, coordinate the PR departments of both agencies for a media blitz, and make sure both idols come out of this looking better than ever before. This is frankly the best way this can come out to be honest, they already have the sympathy of the public. Forget the fact that their idols for a moment, no reputable gossip source would dare try to slander a child In Season, nevermind  _ two at the same time. _ ”

 

“So how do you propose we go about breaking the news, Anesagi-san?” Otoharu asked, steepling his fingers together in thought, “I’m certainly willing to put my agency behind it if the plan is feasible. I would do anything to keep Riku-kun healthy and happy while he’s In Season, but I won’t risk his reputation over something half-baked.”

 

“As if I would do anything by half!” Anesagi huffed, cheeks pinkening in rage, “My plan is ironclad! We are already in a perfect situation to make a reveal! The head of this studio is already itching to do anything he can to make up for the transgressions of his employee, it won’t be hard at all to get him to re-work the show a bit to have our boys shine a bit brighter in the limelight. From there we just let nature takes its course and let them express their affection the way they have been doing since we let them close to each other. As the show goes on, the PR team can use some of our dummy accounts on social media to start to stir the theories in the right direction. We will let the fans mull it over amongst themselves for a bit, no more than a few hours mind you I want this on the evening shows, and then both agencies can release a joint statement on the subject.”

 

“A joint statement saying what exactly?” Gaku snorted, “Yeah our centers are twins! Sorry we lied about it, our bad!”

 

“No, they’re smarter than that,” Yamato said, squinting shrewdly at Anesagi, “You’re going to go for the long-lost-now-found family trope aren’t you? It’s a soap opera classic, the fans will eat it up.”

 

“Got it in one, Nikaido-kun,” Anesagi beamed, clapping their hands mockingly in Yamato’s direction, “I can hammer out the details of the whole story with that handsome PR man of yours later, but for the bare bones of it, that is what I am going for. Just think of it! Two young beautiful talented idols, separated by time and a rift in the family, finding each other again on the first day of the sacred Season by virtue of Fate and their own rare features! I’m almost swooning myself!”

 

“While I don’t know about all that,” Tsumugi cut in, blushing lightly under Anesagi’s raised eyebrow, “I will say that, given the amount of time they were separated and the relative commonness of the last name Nanase, we might have some plausible deniability that the boys might not have known they were long lost brothers until the Season made it apparent. Not just because of their matching features, but because they’ll smell like family to each other.”

 

“It’s true!” Riku exclaimed, grinning slightly though he still shook with nervousness, “Tenn-ni smells like home!”

 

“Riku too,” Tenn said, blushing slightly at his brother’s odd compliment and nuzzling the redhead’s cheek, “Riku’s scent is calming and familiar in a way that nothing else is. I think, if we really had been separated like that, I’d know the second I smelled him that Riku was my twin. It’s not something the feline instincts forget.”

 

“There, you see?” Anesagi said, raising an eyebrow at the two considering producers, “It’s a completely possible story. The fans will have no reason to doubt it and the press will eat it up like starving men at a buffet! Everybody wins, don’t you think?”

 

“It  _ could  _ work,” Otoharu hummed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, “We’ll have to be careful though. Both companies will have to work together; if one goes rough then the whole thing falls apart. I’m willing to try it but what about you, Sousuke?”

 

Everyone turned their eyes onto the senior Yaotome. The stern man frowned into his webcam, obviously not happy with the decision he was being forced to make. It was a well known fact that having to work with Takanashi Pro was one of his least favorite things to deal with, but would Tenn’s and TRIGGER’s reputation be enough to make him swallow down his pride? For a good few minutes of tense silence the occupants of the room were sure he would refuse Anesagi’s proposal, but then the producer ran another considering gaze over the two kittens still entwined in each other’s arms and sighed in resignation. 

 

“Alright,” Sousuke said finally, “I guess I’m outnumbered here, and seeing as it’s Anesagi’s plan I suppose I can trust it more than most.”

 

“Of course you can trust me, Sir!” Anesagi said, preening, “I will make sure this plan succeeds to its fullest potential!”

 

“Good, get on it,” Sousuke said gruffly, “I want a full written strategy proposal in my inbox asap, cc Takanashi’s PR department and have Oogami-san briefed and ready for a conference call in 30 minutes. I want everything hashed out before they even take a step on that stage, do you understand me?”

 

“Loud and clear, sir!” Anesagi exclaimed, snapping to attention with a determined gleam in their eyes, “I’ll coordinate with everyone here and get back to you immediately!”

 

“Very good,” Sousuke nodded before turning his attention to his counterpart, “Otoharu, we can discuss this further in private if you’d like but for now we should let them get to work.”

 

“I agree,” Idolish7’s producer said with a somber smile, “No need to stress our idol’s anymore right before an important appearance. Tsumugi, Yamato-kun, please try to keep Riku-kun as relaxed as possible up until the show begins.”

 

“We’re on it, sir!’ Tsumugi said, straightening her shoulders, stance filling with resolve.

 

“Yeah you can count on us, boss,” Yamato nodded, roughly ruffling Riku’s ears and making his center snort in surprise, “We’ll be sure to keep our kittens nice and happy, right Yaotome?”

 

“Well of course,” Gaku sniffed dismissively, placing his own hand between Tenn’s ears a giving them a hardy scratching “What kind of leaders would we be if we couldn’t take care of our centers?”

 

“Fine, good, if that’s settled,” Sousuke said, rolling his eyes at the ridiculous display of affection he was forced to witness his own son partake in, “We all have work to get done. I’ll leave it to you, Anesagi.”

 

With that, Sousuke hung up the call and his screen went dark. Otoharu shook his head and gave an exasperated sigh before giving the lot of them an encouraging grin and also ending his call. The room collectively let out a breath they didn’t realize they had been holding. There was a beat of silence before a bubble of nervous laughter rushed out of Riku.

 

“Oh man, I’m sorry,” Riku giggled hysterically, wiping happy tears from his eyes, “I was so worried I wouldn’t be able to see Tenn-ni anymore and then they just….I get to be brothers with Tenn-ni all the time now?!”

 

“Were you really worried, Riku?” Tenn asked huffily, “As if I would let anyone keep you from me now, you silly child.”

 

“Tenn-ni was scared too!” Riku insisted, puffing out his cheeks in indignation and snatching up Tenn’s tail from where was still wrapped around his hips, “See look! Your tail is still all fluffed up and agitated!”

 

“That just happens sometimes,” Tenn said defensively, pulling his tail out of the younger’s grip and hurriedly smoothing down the distressed fur, “It has nothing to do with being nervous! It’s just humid in here is all!”

 

“Mmmhmmmm, suuurrree it is” Riku hummed, smirking at his brother knowingly.

 

“Alright alright, enough of that,” Anesagi said, quickly pulling out their phone and starting to send a deluge of hurried texts, “No need to antagonize each other, we have things to do. Tenn do you want to stay here or go back to your dressing room to get ready for the show?”

 

“Stay here,” Tenn said without hesitation.

 

“Fine,” Anesagi nodded, not even looking up from their phone, “I’ll have your things brought here and direct the staff accordingly. Takanashi-chan and I will go update the director and studio head of the decisions we’ve made. You four stay here and wait for hair and makeup, they shouldn’t be long now. Try to keep them as calm as you can Gaku, we don’t need them panicking on stage or anything. Everything clear? Good. Let’s go Takanashi, I’ll show you how the big boys play the PR game.”

 

Then, without even waiting for an answer, Anesagi turned on their heels and head out the door to the dressing room. Tsumugi looked back and forth between the four idols on the couch and the pink haired manager’s retreating back before putting the pieces together and jumping into action. She quickly bowed goodbye to Tenn and Gaku and assured Riku and Yamato that she would be back soon. Then she scurried out of the room, hot on the heels of Anesagi’s designer pumps.

 

“Well that was certainly exciting,” Yamato said with a huff, standing up from the couch and stretching his arms up over his head until his shoulders gave a distinct pop, “So much for this being an easy gig. This is too much stress for a poor old man like me.”

 

“Old man?” Gaku snorted, “We’re the same age! If you’re old then what does that make me?”

 

“Decrepit,” Tenn said flatly, without missing a beat.

 

“Brat!” Gaku squawked, pointing an accusing finger at his center, “Don’t think you can get off scot-free just cause you’re In Season! I’ll scruff you again don’t test me!”

 

Tenn scrunched up his nose and hissed slightly at the threat, not yet ready for a repeat of his earlier embarrassment. The two TRIGGER members glared at each other for a moment until their battle was interrupted by a knock at the door. Tenn and Riku quickly scooted apart from their entanglement and smoothed out any ruffled fur. Sure they were allowed to be friendly with each other now, but no need to be too friendly too fast and possibly put Anesagi’s plan in jeopardy. There was another knock at the door, this time accompanied by someone calling Riku’s name.

 

“Nanase-san?” A feminine voice called through the thin wood, “I’m here from catering with your lunch. There was just got a call on the radio to bring Kujo-san’s order here as well, if he’s in there with you.”

 

“Yeah that’s right,” Yamato said, hurrying to the door and opening it for the craft services worker, “The kittens are just getting to know each other a bit before the show. They’re having such a good time that Tenn wanted to finish getting ready in here. I hope that doesn’t cause you and the staff too much trouble.”

 

“Oh that’s so sweet,” The staff member gushed, pushing her cart carrying four covered bento boxes into the room, “It’s no trouble at all. It’s a fairly common occurrence here to be quite honest. The Shuffle cast is all very close so they often want to get ready together. The staff is all used to it at this point so really it will just save everyone a trip if both the special guests are in the same place.”

 

“We appreciate you accommodating us all the same,” Gaku said, standing up so he could help the caterer unload the food onto the dressing room’s table, “I think it will really help keep their stress levels down if they can get ready together. This is Nanase-san’s first Season since he was very young and Tenn is feeling a bit protective.”

 

“Is that so?” The woman asked, turning to look at the two boys sitting on the couch. Riku blushed a bright red under her scrutiny and ducked down behind Tenn. The caterer apologized and bowed, immediately trying to comfort the redhead, “Oh no, it’s okay Nanase-san! I didn’t mean to upset you! It’s just surprising is all. Kujo-san has never taken such an interest with any of the other Seasonal guests.”

 

“Riku’s just different,” Tenn said, a blush coloring his cheeks as his tail lashed back and forth in embarrassment. Riku, noticing his brother’s agitation and wanting to relieve it, butted his head gently under Tenn’s chin and gave a smattering of soft mews. Tenn returned the sounds, rubbing his cheek over Riku’s ears until both boys began to purr.

 

“You see why we’re not trying to separate them?” Yamato asked, nodding at the visible calming effect the twin kittens had on each other.

 

“Oh yes of course!” The woman nodded, bowing also to Yamato and Gaku “Sometimes kids In Season just click like that! I’ll be sure to let costuming and hair and makeup know to head this way in half an hour so both our guests and their chaperones have time to eat their meals in peace. We still have a while before the show begins, so please don’t rush yourselves. Enjoy the food.”

 

She then politely ducked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

 

“Alright enough of the hugfest you two,” Gaku said, going over to the purring pair and gently tugging on the tips of their ears until they glared up at him with matching pouts, “I know, I know, but the nice lady brought you fish. Aren’t you hungry?”

 

“Yes!” Riku cried happily, jumping up from his spot in Tenn’s lap and rushing over to the table, eagerly pulling off the lid of one of the bentos, “Oh Tenn-ni look! It’s sushi!”

 

“Yep, sushi,” Yamato said, pulling a chair out from the table and dropping down into it before pulling one of the three remaining bentos in front of himself, “You wanted fish, there’s your fish. Now let’s all sit down and enjoy this food before the prep team comes. You wouldn’t want to be eating while their getting you ready, would you?”

 

Riku shook his head in the negative, ears flopping back and forth with the motion, before grabbing a pair of chopsticks and eagerly digging into his lunch. Tenn took his time getting to the table, carefully pulling off his own bento’s lid and thoroughly inspecting the offerings. Once he had decided that the food was up to his standards, he gracefully sat down in his chair and took up his own chopsticks.

 

“See Nikaido? There’s the prissy kitty I’m used to seeing,” Gaku said, gesturing with his chopsticks at the way Tenn gingerly lifted each piece of sushi to his mouth, inspected it for fault, and then delicately took a bite, “He gets even more picky than usual about his food when he’s In Season. It drives Ryuu up the wall with worry that he won’t eat enough.”

 

“It’s not my fault that I have a refined pallet,” Tenn huffed, ears flicking in distastes, “Not all of us can live on soba alone, Gaku.”

 

“Yes of course it’s not your fault,” Yamato grinned at Tenn, pointing his own chopsticks at the boy’s younger brother across the table, “It’s obviously because you stole all the table manner genes in the womb.”

 

Gaku and Tenn blinked at Yamato before turning their attention over to Idolish7’s center. Riku had completely forgone using his chopsticks, instead switching to his fingers to more easily shove the food into his mouth. Half his bento was already gone, the remnants of sushi rice dotting his cheeks from his haste. The redhead’s tongue was out, happily lapping at the leftover taste of fish on his hands, purring in contentment. Gaku snorted out a laugh, covering his mouth in the hopes of not offending Riku and possibly scaring him out of finishing his food. Tenn just groaned and ran a hand over his face.

 

“Riku, remember what we talked about before?” Tenn sighed, reaching across the table with a napkin and wiping the rice granules off the younger’s cheeks, “Just because you’re In Season doesn’t mean you get a free pass to act like an animal. You’re an idol on a job and you should try to acts as professional as possible even though your instincts are telling you otherwise.”

 

“I’m sorry Tenn-ni,” Riku said, ears drooping in remorse, “The sushi was so good, I let myself go a little too much. I’ll try to be better.”

 

“It’s a learning curve, Riku,” Yamato assured him, giving his shoulder a firm squeeze, “No harm no foul. Just try to finish your food with the utensils this time, okay?”

 

Riku nodded, picking up his chopsticks once more and eating his food at a slower pace. Tenn gave him an encouraging smile before returning to his own lunch. It wasn’t long after that that everyone had finished their meals and all that remained were empty bentos and a pair of well fed and sleepily purring kittens.

 

“Gaku, how much longer until the prep crew gets here?” Tenn mumbled, eyelids fluttering as he fought off his own full-belly tiredness.

 

“You probably have a good fifteen minutes or so,” Gaku said, checking his watch, “Wanna take a quick cat nap on the couch while ?

 

Tenn hummed out an agreement and got up from his chair, stretching his arms out and giving a big yawn. He walked around the table and tugged Riku, who was nodding off in his own seat, out of his chair and pulled him over to the couch. The twins curled up together on the cushions once more, wrapping their tails around each other and nuzzling cheek to cheek. Soon enough a steady stream of soft snores and purring started up from the little pile they made of themselves.

 

“Oh man, that’s pretty cute,” Yamato said, running a hand through his hair and sighing at the sight, “They’re gonna have everyone eating out of the palm of their hands.”

 

“All the better for Anesagi’s plan, I suppose,” Gaku agreed, “Nothing like a good bit of cuteness to help hand-wave away any details that don’t quite add up.”

 

“Yeah, unfortunately I think we may need all the help we can get,” Yamato said, leaning back in his seat, a look of deep contemplation taking over his face, “Riku will give it his best, but he’s a very honest person at the core. He won’t like lying to the fans, no matter how close that lie is to the truth.”

 

“Tenn too,” Gaku nodded, “He’s a hell of an actor when he wants to be, but the only thing that can come close to Riku in his heart are the fans’ smiles. It won’t be easy for him to balance the two so closely like this.”

 

“Well, then it’s just our jobs to worry about it for them then,” Yamato said, shrugging his shoulders as he came to an agreeable conclusion in his mind, “It’s our jobs, not only as leaders, but as the trustworthy Onii-sans to a pair of In Season kittens afterall.”

 

“Oi don’t wrap me in with your little gimmick,” Gaku snapped, pointing an accusing finger at the smirking spectacled idol, “I’m not anyone’s onii-san!”

 

“ _ Gakuuuu,”  _ Tenn moaned in his sleep, making Gaku jump up from his seat in attention. Tenn wiggled a bit to get more comfortable before he sighed out a quiet, “It’s cold.”

 

Gaku grabbed his coat from where it was draped over the back of the couch and carefully tucked it around both boys until the lines of Tenn’s face once again smoothed out into easy slumber. Gaku took a step back to admire his work and make sure no part of either brother was sticking out from under the cover his coat provided. Once he was satisfied, he turned back to continue his argument with Yamato, only to be stopped in his tracks by the other’s wide smug grin. 

 

“Oh whatever!” Gaku flushed, knowing no words could undo the proof of his actions, “Just don’t go spreading it around that I’m soft on him. He’s hardly ever this vulnerable, just let me enjoy it while it lasts.”

 

“You’re secret’s safe with me, Gaku-ni,” Yamato winked, narrowly avoiding the punch thrown at his shoulder, “I’m going to make some tea for when they wake up, do you want some?”

 

“Yeah okay,” Gaku sighed, pulling out his phone and setting up the camera, “While you do that, I’m going to get a few pictures of this. Ryuu will want to see it. Do you want me to send you copies in rabbit chat? I’m sure that Izumi-otouto will have already started an album of Riku-kitty pictures.”

 

“He really is that transparent, huh?” Yamato sighed, pouring the kettle into two cups and handing one to the silver-haired man.

 

“Only when you see him enough backstage,” Gaku said sipping the tea and taking another few shots of the snoozing catboys, “Plus he wouldn’t get into it with Tenn so much if he didn’t have some sort of crush on Riku.”

 

“Maybe brocons can sniff each other out,” Yamato suggested, raising an eyebrow. Gaku chuckled and clinked his cup against Yamato’s in agreement. The two leaders sat back down at the table, content to sip their tea and play on their phones until the prep team finally showed up. 

 

15 minutes later a knock at the door startled the sleeping twins awake. They popped their heads out of their coat nest with a pair of questioning  _ mmrrrrp _ noises. Gaku smirked and called out for whoever was knocking to come in. There was a commotion at the door before it swung open and a small crowd of people bustled in. A tall thin man in small square glasses and a turtleneck led the pack, running his gaze over the room until he found the two idols huddled up on the couch. 

 

“Oh there you are Kujo-san, Nanase-san,” The man said, walking over to the two and bowing in greeting, “My name is Nijimura, I’ll be helping you get ready today. Please go sit in the chairs at the dressing tables so that we can begin.” 

 

Tenn nodded and stood up, sliding out from under Gaku’s coat and lazily making his way over to the mirrors, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Riku, however, took a look at all the strange people suddenly in his dressing room and shivered. His ears went back with a whine and he sunk further under the cover of the coat, hiding from sight.

 

“If you’d just give us a moment, Nijimura-san,” Yamato said, smiling politely but very clearly taking control of the situation. The older man simply nodded and took a few steps away from the couch to let Yamato work. 

 

“Hey buddy,” Yamato said, voice soothing as he pulled the coat away from Riku’s head and held his hand out for Riku to sniff, “I know its a lot of people but they’re all just here to help you out. Why don’t you come out of there and say Hi to them? I’ll be with you the whole time, I promise.”

 

Riku gave a pitiful little mewl but obligingly sniffed Yamato’s hand. After a moment of taking in the calmingly familiar scent, he rubbed his cheek across Yamato’s fingers and hesitantly slid off the couch until he stood behind Yamato. He peeked over his friend’s shoulder at the people pushing the makeup carts and setting up the lights near the mirrors. 

 

“Hello,” Riku said tentatively, giving a small wave as Yamato led him to his seat by Tenn, “It’s nice to meet you.”

 

The ladies setting up his station all paused to return his wave, cooing and whispering about how adorable he was to each other. Riku felt his face flush with embarrassment, it was like being a little kid hanging off his mother’s skirt all over again. The ladies at his parent’s club always used to fuss over how cute he and Tenn were, pinching their cheeks and awing at their ears. Riku thought he’d grown out of the phase where random women gushed over his cuteness, but apparently having ears negated being nearly an adult. 

 

“Be gentle with him please,” Tenn directed, as they stylists and makeup artists started to get to work, “He’s not used to being In Season and this is still the first day, so his features are extra sensitive.”

 

“We’ll be sure to keep that in mind Kujo-san,” One of the makeup artists said, using her finger to tilt Tenn’s chin back so she could apply his fondation, “Though this isn’t our first rodeo, as you’re well aware. We seem to be able to take care of you every Season after all.”

 

“Yes and you do a wonderful job,” Tenn agreed, dutifully tilting his head as she moved it, “I just want his first show In Season to be as pleasant an experience as possible. He needs a tender touch.”

 

“Not to worry Kujo-san,” Another women, this one moving to stand behind Riku with a hairbrush, “He’s not our first New Seasonal. We know just the right way to make nervous kittens feel secure. I’m going to have to touch your ears a bit to get you ready, alright Nanase-san? If I do anything you don’t like, or if you want me to stop, please say so. Besides that, just lean back and relax, Nanase-san, try closing your eyes. We’ll have you ready in no time.”

 

“I’m fine really,” Riku said, doing as the stylist said and leaning back in his seat, shutting his eyes against the bright lights of the makeup table. He could admit that he did feel a little relief from the decrease in stimulations, “Please do whatever you need to do. I don’t want to cause you any extra trouble.”

 

“You’re no trouble at all, dear,” The makeup artist chuckled, “It’s nice to see Kujo-san making friends.”

 

Both boys flushed at that but decided not to push the point any further. Riku kept his eyes shut and tried to focus on calm breathing. All the strange smells were making his inner cat very nervous and fidgety. Luckily whenever it started to get to be too much, one of the other idols would move in closer to him and Riku would get a fresh whiff of a trusted friend and his kitten mind would calm down.

 

Besides all the odd smells, the hair and makeup prep wasn’t all that bad. It was better than usual actually. Every brush of his ears and tail felt amazing, and even the tickle of the makeup applicators on his face seemed nicer. Riku had to physically stop himself from rubbing his cheeks back against the touch of the makeup brushes in fear of smearing blush all over his face. The one cat instinct he couldn’t stop was the resounding purr that his chest refused to stop. Who knew his inner cat would enjoy grooming so much!

 

“Alright you two,” The tall man with the glasses said, walking around both boys chairs with a considering look, “Hair and makeup looks good. Go get into your costumes and we’ll do final touch ups backstage. I had costuming hang them behind the changing screens. I’ll leave you to it and have your managers walk you to filming when you’re done.”

 

“Thank you for your work,” Riku nodded to the staff that helped get them ready, stepping out of his seat and giving a polite bow, “I really appreciate it.”

 

“The pleasure was ours dear,” The head makeup artist said with a warm smile, “You were as much a delight to work with as Kujo-san always is.”

 

“It’s true,” The woman who had worked on Riku’s hair agreed, “Your ears were fun to work with too, Nanase-san. It’s not often I get to style Seasonal ears with such interesting coloring. Or ones that are so soft!”

 

“His fur might not be totally grown in yet,” Another stylist said, completely oblivious to the bashful blush quickly filling Riku’s face, “If it’s his first Season in a while then it might take a few days for his fur to fully grow in. That happened to my sister a few years back, the doctor says its common with kids that get their features from long-haired breeds.”

 

“That would make sense,” Tenn hummed thoughtfully, running a considering eye over Riku’s ears, “We’re both persians but his ears aren’t as long and silky as mine. Maybe they’ll fill out in a few days?”

 

“You’re both persians?” One of the younger makeup assistants asked, “How can you tell?”

 

“He smells like me,” Tenn said hurriedly, “I figured it was because we’re the same breed.”

 

“I guess that makes sense….” The young girl said, raising an eyebrow suspiciously, “Anyway, have a good show you two.”

 

The two boys nodded and rushed to the corner of the room cordoned off for them to change, eager to get out of that conversation. They listened as Gaku and Yamato bid the hair and makeup crew farewell and breathed dual sighs of relief. 

 

“That was close,” Riku murmured, pulling his shirt over his head as he began undressing, “Nice save Tenn-ni.”

 

“It was too close,” Tenn frowned, shrugging out of his cardigan and draping it over the top of the screen divider, “I’m usually far more careful than that. I hate being In Season, it makes me careless.”

 

“Don’t say that Tenn-ni!” Riku urged, looking at his brother with wide imploring eyes, “I love your ears and so do your fans! It makes everyone so happy to see you In Season, and if it weren’t for that then you and I would still have to pretend we weren’t family.”

 

“Ah, well,” Tenn said, looking away from Riku’s irresistible kitten eyes, “I guess, if it's for the fans, I won’t hate my ears and tail. I’ll just say they’re a blessing in disguise, then.”

 

“Exactly!” Riku nodded, “If I have to try and like my Seasonal features, then so do you!”

 

“Hey what’s this payback all of a sudden?” Tenn complained, “Who’s teaching you such unbecoming traits? It’s that Izumi Iori isn’t it?!”

 

“Alright alright, enough fighting,” Gaku called through the screen, “Get your clothes on and let’s go. We’re on a schedule here!”

 

“Coming!” Both kittens called, Riku sticking his tongue out at Tenn while the older scoffed and turned his nose up at such immature behavior, only to return the gesture once Riku’s back was turned.

 

They quickly shrugged their way into the outfits provided by the costuming department. They weren’t too tight, so as not to restrict movement, and made of soft breathable fabric, so they wouldn’t irritate any Seasonally over-sensitive skin. There were holes sewn in the back of their pants specifically for their tails that Tenn had to instruct Riku on how to use. Once they were all dressed they grabbed their accompanying hats and exited the changing area, just as their managers returned to the room to retrieve them.

 

“Oh my, don’t you two look great” Tsumugi said, clasping her hands together in delight, “I was always a fan of the classic sailor look. You both pull it off better than expected.”

 

“You think?” Riku asked, spinning around and looking over his white sailor shirt with its blue collar and matching blue shorts, “I haven’t worn something like this since i was little. It’s kind of embarrassing to be honest.”

 

“Aye-aye matey,” Gaku chuckled, saluting them with one hand and snapping another photo on his phone with the other. “You look paws-itively purr-fect.”

 

“Gaku. No. Delete that now!” Tenn said, lunging at his groupmate to try and snatch the phone. His own black and white sailor ensemble swishing about with his movements.

 

“Too late,” Gaku grinned holding the phone out over Tenn’s head so he could see the screen but not reach it, “I already sent it to the group rabbit chat. Everyone is gonna want to see how cute you look, little kitty.”

 

Tenn growled and stomped on the insole of one of Gaku’s feet, twirling around in a huff and daintily placing his hat on his head behind his ears. 

 

“If you’re all done acting like rowdy children,” Anesagi said, eyeing their own idols warningly and making them both swallow in nervousness, “We have a timetable to keep. Let’s get both kittens backstage early. I want to make sure they have a chance to meet the rest of the cast before the show so there aren’t any…. _ bad reactions…  _ while they are on the program.”

 

“Right, let’s go,” Yamato said, nodding his chin towards the door so they would follow, “Come on, Riku, lets go make you some new friends.”

 

Riku gulped, knowing that once he left this room, there was no going back. Their secret was coming out today, to a live studio audience full. While on one hand Riku was ecstatic that he could act like a family with his Tenn-ni all the time now, on the other he was terrified of what such a revelation would mean to their fans. He didn’t think he could take it if they hated him for this. He’d worked so hard for their smiles, and today was supposed to be a way to bring a little extra joy to some of his most vulnerable fans. He didn’t want to ruin that with this bombshell. He felt his chest seize up a little at the thought. Did he really want to go through with this?

 

“Hey,” Tenn’s voice, like a gentle breeze blowing through his mind, broke through his thoughts, “Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it together, okay?” 

 

“Right,” Riku breathed, setting his shoulders resolutely and holding his hand out to Tenn, “Because that’s what brothers do.”

 

“That’s what brothers do,” Tenn agreed softly, smiling serenely and taking Riku’s hand.

 

With determined smiles and heads held high, they walked out the door together, hands clasped and ready to face their next challenge. All they could do was give the best performance they could.

 

The rest was up to the fans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody I know its been a bit of a wait but I hope you like this chapter! Next time we get to see how the twins preform on stage while In Season!


	7. Chapter 7

Riku clung tight to Tenn’s side, giving his brother’s hand a strong squeeze and twining their tails together. The walk down to the recording stage wasn’t quite as long as Riku would have liked and, as they approached the stage door, he found the ever growing pit of unease in his stomach start to become unbearable. The closer they got to revealing their secret, the more Riku worried that they were making a bad decision. The last thing he wanted was to make trouble for Tenn and his friends. 

 

Tenn looked over at the redhead in concern and returned Riku’s hand squeeze with one of his own. It was jarring to see his usually bubbly and lighthearted twin acting so shy and nervous. Riku had always made friends easily. He had a smile like sunshine and the kind warmth that just drew people in. This new fearful, self-conscious, side of his brother was making an icy pit of nervousness form in Tenn’s gut. Was being in Season really causing all these changes in Riku? Or was it just the catalyst needed for his buried feelings to come to light? Either way Tenn didn’t like it one bit, and he would do his very best to put an end to his brother’s fears.

 

“Here we are,” Tsumugi said brightly, knocking both twins out of their spiral of worried thoughts. Their little group had stopped in front of a door labeled as Sound Stage 3, with a second sign under the first with the show’s name “Afterschool Shuffle” in bright bold letters. Both kittens’ ears flicked back nervously at the sight of it.

 

“Hey come on now, none of that,” Gaku scolded, clapping a hand down on either twin’s shoulder, “You two have been on plenty of variety programs before this, there’s no reason to act like jittery newbies just because you have ears at the moment.”

 

“Aw go easy on them, Yaotome,” Yamato said, smirking teasingly at the pair of centers, “They can’t help acting like little skittish kitty cats right now, can they?”

 

Both boys reddened and turned reproachful eyes on their leaders. 

 

“I’ll have you know, Nikaido-san,” Tenn huffed haughtily, looking down his nose at Yamato, “That unlike you, I am a consummate professional. Something so simple as being In Season is nowhere near enough to rattle me.”

 

“Yeah! Don’t be mean Yamato-san!” Riku pouted, tail swishing back and forth with his irritation, “We’ll do our best out there and bring smiles to our fans, just like we always do! ears or no ears!”

 

“Oh really?” Yamato asked slyly, “Prove it.”

 

“Just sit back and watch, Nikaido,,” Tenn said, narrowing his eyes in challenge at Yamato’s smug grin. “I’ll show you how a real Idol acts under pressure.” With a derisive sniff, Tenn grabbed Riku’s wrist and pushed through the stage door, dragging his brother behind him.

 

“Well that’s one method to inspire them, I guess,” Anesagi remarked, raising an eyebrow at the two group leaders, “Though I’m sure Ryuu would have preferred it if you handled that differently, Gaku.”

 

“Coddling them will only get us so far,” Gaku shrugged, pulling the door open to the sound stage and holding it for the two managers, “It’s fine for when they need reassurance and help calming down, but not for when they need to perform. We needed to give them a little pep in their step and nothing lights a fire under Tenn’s ass like proving someone wrong.”

 

“Riku is equally spiteful about being told he can’t do something,” Yamato nodded, sticking his hands in his pockets and following at the tail end of the group, “A little teasing push in the right direction won’t do them any harm.”

 

“Well, I suppose,” Tsumugi murmured, watching as Tenn and Riku marched confidently up to where the group of show regulars were clustered around the director, “But you’re on your own for any backlash they send your way. It isn’t nice to tease kids In Season you know.” 

 

“We’ll make it up to them later if they’re actually mad,” Gaku assured her, “Promise.”

 

“I’ll hold you to that,” Tsumugi said firmly, “In the meantime, we should go make sure they’re doing alright being surrounded by all those new people.”

 

Upon entering the sound stage, the pair of managers and leaders were greeted with the sight of both centers surrounded by a group of excited teens. They were a varied mix of boys and girls from ages 14 to 18, all in the colorful sailor uniforms that were the trademark costume of Afterschool Shuffle. Tenn seemed to be taking it all in stride, his usual angelic smile in place as he talked amicably with some the veteran show regulars. Riku, on the other hand, clung shyly to his brother’s back with his tail tucked between his legs. It was obvious that the redhead was still having some trouble adjusting to being around strangers while In Season. 

 

Yamato frowned at Riku’s distress and moved to go assist, only to be stopped by Gaku’s hand on his shoulder. The spectacled idol looked back and saw his senior shaking his head with a smile. Yamato raised an eyebrow at Gaku, the latter grinning and pointing back at the twins in the center of the group of teens. When Yamato turned his gaze back on the kittens he saw why Gaku wanted him to wait. Tenn had pulled Riku out from his hiding spot and placed the redhead in front of himself. If he strained his ears a bit, Yamato could hear the words of introduction and praise falling like water from Tenn’s lips.

 

“Have you met my friend Nanase Riku yet?” Tenn asked brightly, running a comforting hand over Riku’s ears, “He does great work, but this is his first time being In Season since he was small, so we’ll need to look out for him today.”

 

“It’s nice to meet you!” Riku said, bowing nervously to the show actors, “I promise to do my best today!”

 

“Oh aren’t you just the sweetest thing,” One of the older girls cooed affectionately, “No need to worry Nanase-san, you aren’t the first new kitten we’ve had on the show and you certainly won’t be the last.”

 

“Honestly we’re all happy to have you with us, Nanase-san,” One of the male hosts said with a welcoming smile, “Not that we don’t love having Kujo-san on and all, but it’s been a while since we’ve had a new face on the Seasonal Special.”

 

“Why, Takahata-san, I think I might be a little hurt,” Tenn teased the other teen, placing a hand over his heart in mock offense, “Not that I can really blame you, I guess. Who wouldn’t be excited to do a show with such a cute kitten? I know I am.”

 

“Oho, so you think he’s cute, huh?” The boy in the black and green sailor uniform, now known as Takahata-san, said with a knowing grin, “It’s not like you to get attached to the other guests, Kujo-san. Nanase-san must really be something to get such praises from you.”

 

Both idols flushed in embarrassment at Takahata’s gentle ribbing, their matching white-tipped ears flicked back bashfully.

 

“It’s nothing like that, Takahata-san,” Riku stuttered out, wringing his tail between his hands, “Kujo-san is just a very kind person! He’s been helping me get used to my Seasonal features ever since we got here! He’s a very dedicated senpai is all!”

 

“Don’t mind Takahata, Nanase-kun,” The first girl said reassuringly, “He teases all the new guests that come on. We’re all glad to have you on, and to see that you and Kujo-san are getting along nicely. Kujo-san is one of our favorite guests, and he’s always so polite, but he never seemed to click with any of the other kittens we’ve had on during the Season.”

 

“Riku is different,” Tenn said, faking nonchalance, “He was already my precious kouhai before the Season. And then he showed up here with ears like mine and smelling just like me, of course I had to take him under my wing.”

 

“Oh wow you two do smell alike,” Affirmed one of the younger girls, this one with a pair of sleek black cat ears and a tail that matched her bouncy mess of curls. Her nose scrunched up slightly as she leaned forward and sniffed the other two kittens, “That’s crazy!”

 

“What are the odds right?” Tenn said, giving Riku’s hand a reassuring squeeze so the younger wouldn’t panic, “How lucky that we’re both persians.”

 

“I guess that’s one explanation yeah…” The girl murmured, looking the two over suspiciously.

 

It looked like the girl was about to ask something but luckily the twins were saved from further questioning by the arrival of the director. 

 

“Alright everyone, places in five,” The director called as she approached the group, “If you’re here all the time and know what to do, I want to see you doing it! You got me, kids?”

 

There was a good-natured round of yeses and okays as the group of Afterschool Shuffle members dispersed to their designated marks for the start of the program. The director, a tall woman with a sharp smile and a headset dangling around her neck, bowed to the twins in welcome. 

 

“Kujo-san, it’s lovely to see you again,” She said, nodding to Tenn before turning to Riku and holding out a hand in greeting, “And Nanase-san, it’s a pleasure to have you here with us. I’ll be in charge of the show today so if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me.”

 

“Thank you, Director,” Riku said, letting go of his tail to shake her hand, “I’m happy to be here.”

 

“Yes, we’re both looking forward to a good show, Director,” Tenn said, releasing his comforting grip on Riku’s hand to also shake the director’s, “We were just wondering what was on the menu for us on the program today.”

 

“Just the usual rundown, Kujo-san,” The director assured them, turning and waving the two boys over to a cluster of chairs and makeup tables set just off to the side of the main stage, “We’ll open the show with a skit from our regulars, then they’ll announce the Seasonal special and they’ll introduce the two of you and that will take us into the first commercial break. After the break we’ll have our head boy and girl run an interview with the two of you, just some basic info on how your first day in Season is going and how you’re feeling about your ears and tails, before moving into a game that will highlight your increased senses and catlike responses to things.”

 

“A game for our inner cats?” Riku asked worriedly, the still present apprehension at his inability to control his feline urges buzzing at the back of his mind.

 

“Don’t overthink it,” Tenn said, running a calming hand over Riku’s flattened ears, “You’re supposed to give in to you impulses a bit during the game. It’s meant to show off all the fun things kittens can do during the Season. I’ll be there the whole time too, making sure you put your best foot forward. So there’s no need to worry.”

 

“Okay,” Riku murmured, rubbing his head back into Tenn’s hand. He looked up at the director, eyes wide with trepidation, “We’ll be together the whole time right?”

 

“Yes, Nanase-san,” The director assured, lowering her voice and leaning in so their conversation would be a bit more private, “The Producer and your Managers have already informed me of your  _ special situation  _ and we’ve reworked the show in light of that. The two of you will be together the whole time.”

 

“Thank you for accommodating us, Director,” Tenn said gratefully, giving Riku’s ear one last purr-inducing scritch, “We promise to do our very best to give you a good performance.”

 

“You always do, Kujo-san,” The director grinned, “I have no doubt you and your brother will make a wonderful duo for our Seasonal Special. Now after your game you’ll have a break for a good bit while the cast goes through some of the regular programing. We’ll bring you out again for our special segment spot which is a cooking piece. You’ll be joining some of our cast members who are also In Season in trying some special recipes designed specifically for kittens. After that you’ll have another short break while the cast wraps up the end of the show and then you’ll both sing the outro.”

 

“We’re singing the outro together?” Riku asked excitedly, “Like a duet?”

 

“Yes, I hope that’s not a problem,” The director said, brows furrowing slightly in worry.

 

“Absolutely not!” Riku practically cheered, “Singing with Tenn-ni could never be a problem!”

 

“Riku, don’t say such embarrassing things,” Tenn mewled, cheeks reddening as he failed to hide a smile. 

 

“But it’s true,” Riku said, blinking up at Tenn with wide befuddled eyes, “And you’re smiling! You like to sing with me too!”

 

“Well of course I do you silly thing,” Tenn huffed, tugging bashfully at the end of his tail, “But you don’t see me shouting it to strangers!” 

 

“Think nothing of it, Kujo-san,” The director said with a chuckle, “It’s understandable that Nanase-san is excited to sing with you. You are his treasured big brother, right? And he finally has a chance to be affectionate with you in public. I’m sure the audience will really enjoy seeing the two of you getting along so well. It will be a testament to the miracles the Season brings! Now you two just sit here and relax, hair and makeup will stop by for touch ups and then we’ll get you ready for places.”

 

The twins thanked the director and she nodded to them before heading over to check in with some of the camera crew. As she left, the managers, Gaku, and Yamato approached the chairs where Tenn and Riku sat.

 

“Well that was fun, huh,” Yamato mused, rubbing a hand over Riku’s ears until the younger trilled happily, “I’m glad you’re getting more used to strangers, Riku. Seeing you all shy and shrinking makes Onii-san worry. Our cute center is supposed to be happy and bright!”

 

“I’m doing my best, Yamato-san,” Riku hummed, tilting his head so Yamato would scratch in just the right spot, “It’s just hard when half of me is scared of everything for no reason.”

 

“Yes, the feline mind is a cautious thing,” Tenn agreed, batting Gaku’s hand away when he tried to pet the older twin the same way Yamato did to the younger, “You’ll build up a tolerance over time as your cat side gets more used to everything, but seeing as it’s the first day of the Season it’s understandable that everything seems so scary to you.”

 

“It helps that Tenn-ni and Yamato-san are here,” Riku said with a grin, nuzzling his face into his leader’s hand, “That and the fact that everyone here has been so nice!”

 

“Of course they’re being nice to you guys,” Gaku replied matter-of-factly, giving up on petting Tenn’s ears and instead reaching for his swishing white-tipped tail, “No one wants to upset children In Season. It’s basically taboo. Plus one look at those kitten eyes of yours and any sane person would be melting into a puddle of goo.”

 

“Oh I agree,” Anesagi said, smirking but not looking up from where they were furiously typing away on their phone, “Nanase-kun In Season will be almost unmatched in moe appeal among the fanbase. They’re already blowing up twitter and the fan forums getting ready for his spot on Afterschool Shuffle.”

 

“Wow really?” Riku asked, blushing so deeply he almost matched his hair, “That’s good I guess? I’m happy they’re enjoying my ears and tail, but I think I’m a pretty average kitten….”

 

“Nonsense.” Tenn objected, primly plucking his tail from Gaku’s grip and glaring at his leader pointedly before turning to his brother, “Riku was already seen as sweet and cute to his fans; being In Season just amplifies all of your usual adorable traits a hundredfold to them.”

 

“He’s got a point, Nanase,” Gaku smirked, using Tenn’s distraction to finally get his hands around silky pink ears and quickly reducing his center to a squirming purring mess, “Plus you’ll be right next to Tenn the whole time you’re on camera. The only thing cuter than one kitten is a matching pair of them. You’re going two are going to be media darlings in ten seconds flat, just you watch.”

 

“If you say so…” Riku muttered, not quite believing the others’ praises. The whole situation still seemed so fantastical to him, the fact that he went Into Season and that his Tenn-ni wasn’t mad at him for it, that Idolish7 and his Manager were so happy he was a kitten, and that now after everything he could act like a family with his brother just like he’d always dreamed. He was even going to get to sing a duet on live TV with his brother! With all the wonderful things that had happened to him today, Riku couldn’t help feeling like the other shoe would drop at any moment. 

 

“Riku-kun,” Tsumugi called softly, gently placing her hands over his and waiting for the redhead to look up at her, “Everything is going to be just fine. You’re going to go out there and give a great show, just like you always do. That’s all you need to focus on, alright? I will take care of everything else. Yamato-san and I promised we would take care of you didn’t we? Have I ever broken a promise to you?”

 

“Never ever.” Riku conceded, looking down at their clasped hands, “Manager is a super hard worker and always keeps her word. You never let us down.”

 

“Then can you trust me on this too?” Tsumugi asked, rubbing her thumb over the back of the kitten’s hand soothingly, “Can you trust me to get you through today so you can keep making the fans smile for as long as you can?”

 

“Well...when you put it that way,” Riku mumbled, tail swishing back and forth as his thoughts and feelings twisted around each other in a battle for dominance. After a moment it settled smoothly to the floor, and Idolish7’s center looked up at his manager with a resolute smile, “Of course I can do it if Manager says I can! I can always count on you. I promise to do my best not to doubt myself, even if the cat inside tells me too, because Manager believes in me. I won’t let you down!”

 

“That’s the spirit!” Yamato said with a knowing grin, clapping a hand on both his friends’ shoulders, “You’ll be just fine, Riku, no need to worry. We’ll be supporting you from backstage the whole time and you’ll be with your big brother on stage. Everything will work out easy peasy and then we’ll all get dinner. How does that sound?”

 

“Sounds just peachy,” Tenn grumbled, finally managing to throw off Gaku’s teasing hands with a grumpy baring of his teeth and a hiss, “Now then I think it’s time the four of you go find a spot to watch out of the way. I see the hair and makeup team headed over here, so unless you want to get chewed out for messing up their work, I suggest you get while the getting’s good.”

 

“Oh dang,” Gaku gulped, looking up to see that Tenn was right and the prep team was on their way over, the look on the lead hairdresser’s face promising retribution to ruining the work they’d done on the twins’ ears, “Nikaido we’d better, uh, find the best place to see the show. Somewhere way over there I think would be best, don’t you?”

 

“Yeah I see your point, Yaotome,” Yamato agreed smile waivering under the hairdresser’s grim stare, “You two have a good show. We’ll be cheering you on!”

 

“Heh, predictable,” Tenn snorted good naturedly, “He’s always been terrible at confronting people on the prep teams. He’s all bluster no bite.”

 

“Maybe,” Riku said, smiling tenderly at his older brother, “But Yaotome-san is a really good person. I’m so glad you have him as a friend. With him around I have no need to worry about you being taken care of.”

 

“There you go saying embarrassing things again!” Tenn exclaimed, face flushing and ears bristling embarrassment, “Don’t let Gaku hear you say that, he’ll never let me live it down! And I’m the older brother, I should be the one worrying about you not the other way around.”

 

“Too late! I already worried about you!” Riku sniffed, crossing his arms over his chest and sticking his nose in the air indignantly, “But it’s over now because I know Yaotome-san will take good care of you while you’re In Season.”

 

“Cute,” Tenn huffed a laugh, “Even when you’re being difficult you’re cute. What am I going to do with you? The fans aren’t going to be able to contain themselves. You’re too precious!”

 

“Don’t tease me!” Riku pouted, ears drooping sullenly when all it achieved was his brother laughing harder at him.

 

“I can’t help it,” Tenn smiled brightly through his chuckles, “It’s my job as your big brother to tease you.”

 

“Well if that’s the case,” Riku sighed longsufferingly, “I guess I’ll have to allow it for now.”

 

“Your graciousness is most appreciated, Riku-sama,” Tenn said, face blank and voice so deadpan it sent Riku into his own fit of giggles.

 

The hair and makeup team were quickly upon them after that, but the added tickle of makeup brushes and gentle caress of combs on their ears did little to cool their happy spirits. The few minutes it took the prep team to do touch ups before places was dotted with sporadic bubbles of giggling and teasing jabs between the two kittens. Once they had been deemed ready by the makeup crew, a stagehand came to collect them and bring them to places. 

 

The two kittens held hands as they approached the spot they would be announced from. They were led up a set of stairs to a small balcony that was built into the set. There was a curtain that separated the balcony from the backstage area where they had to wait for the show to begin. Once the main cast performed the Afterschool Shuffle opening, they would announce the Seasonal Special and call their names as guest, then Tenn and Riku would come out and wave to the audience before heading down to join the actors on main stage. 

 

Riku gripped Tenn’s hand tighter as the director started calling tech cues and ordering actors to places. The sounds of the audience could be heard clearly through the thin curtain that separated the twins for their view. The familiar feeling of anticipation fluttered like butterflies in Riku’s stomach and his limbs jittered with nervousness. For a moment he felt like it would all be to much, like he was frozen and moving too fast all at the same time, but then a familiar purr rumbled through him. Tenn leaned heavily into Riku’s side, nuzzling his face under the redhead’s chin and giving him the tiniest kitten-lick right at his jawline. Riku looked at his brother wide-eyed only for Tenn to give him a soft and easy smile. 

 

That’s right. As long as he was with his Tenn-ni, everything would be fine. Better than fine, with the two of them together, the show would be easy. Riku closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath through his nose, feeling his heartrate settle down into something more manageable. When he opened his eyes again he found that he could return Tenn’s smile with one of his own, a real smile that he meant from deep in his heart. As long as they were together, they had nothing to worry about. Tenn nodded at him proudly before gripping his twin’s hand all the tighter and turning towards the curtain. 

 

With his new found confidence restored, Riku followed his brother’s lead. As the music blared, the twins readied themselves to face the world with their ears perked and their heads held high, united as a family.

 

“Hey there everybody!” Takahata’s voice called out cheerfully, “It’s time for Afterschool Shuffle!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody! Sorry for the wait! I was tied up in con prep and an unexpected injury so I know this is coming out later than I would have liked. I worked really hard on it though so I hope you all enjoy! Your comments have really been making my day during this stressful time so thank you all so much for that!

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think? Did you like it? Do you want more? (You're gonna get more cause you know what this made me feel a little better)


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